Final Fantasy XII Review & Analysis | Game Discourses

[@EddieLigerSmithGaming]

12 is such an underrated game. The story is so mature and the writing is top notch. Everything about this game was ahead of its time

[@TristanSirrico]

It's refreshing to find someone that actually analyses a game instead of just recapping the story. Thanks.

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks Tristan, glad you liked it.

[@griffithguts6168]

Couldn't agree with this more. I'm so sick of the recap culture thats trending in current analysis videos.

[@MoreImbaThanYou]

I feel like FFXII get's more positive recognition over the last decade. Gotta admit, I wasn't too fond of it either after release, but as the years passed, it started to grow on me more and more, ultimately making it my second favorite FF game, behind FFIX.

[@RaineyDaysStudio]

Fascinating bit about the influence loop with Lucas.

[@DammnDeejay]

Ff12 is easily in the top 3 favorite game for me. I loved staying all playing FF12 and when I was sleepy, I would go to Eruyt village just to sleep to the soundtrack

[@bradreed4414]

Vayne Solidor is a literary antagonist, without being a villain which is quite awesome

[@Dzzy123]

Vayne's motives are really interesting. I wish he got even more screen time.

[@bobrosstwin5373]

I like the music or ff12. To me it makes me feel like there’s always another character around besides the player characters. What I mean by this is the the music makes the environments feel like it’s own character, like the sandsea, zertian caverns, barheim passage. It’s awesome

[@mrscary497]

Very nice in depth analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed this. How about one dedicated to Balthier? Nice work!

[@evanwoodham6296]

I think FFXII gets underestimated a lot because of its extreme reliance on storytelling through subtext. Even if warned beforehand, it's just not possible to grasp all of the subtext the first go-around. The best example is where Basch impersonates Judge Gabranth when announcing the ceasefire. Only later, in the epilogue, does it become clear that he wasn't impersonating Gabranth, but had become him. The viewer is intentionally misdirected from figuring this out on the first viewing because we're shown Vaan impersonating someone else over the comms channel. We're misdirected into thinking Basch is likewise pulling this impersonation trick, but, tricky tricky. I do agree with the consensus that FFXII is not as good, because subtext is not as good as text. I'm not a fan of this naturalistic, mad men style of storytelling. But you've made a compelling case that for what it's going for, it does a great job of trying to be that.

[@jjkeyboards]

Absolutely fantastic video, I definitely agree that Vayne is a complex villain. Upon replaying, I definitely found myself sympathising with him once the motives of the Occuria became known to the player.

[@HollowFoil]

Can't believe this doesn't have more views, really great analysis, exactly what I was looking for :D

[@AlleywayJack]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@flareinc7413]

Okay okay okay.... Now I gotta call this out. 1. Saying that The Zodiac Age made using the Licence Board is very much bs bc as all characters in the base game have access to the entire board and can do anything, you need to really plan ahead and know what you're doing w the Zodiac system. The best NPC is Montblanc bc he can reset all the LP:s :D 2. Vaan's backstory w Reks gave him some much needed depth just by how he interacted w Basch in the beginning of the game. So yeah. Otherwise,good analysis about an amazing game :) Although the philosophical stand on Ashe vs Vayne is amazing and I didn't realize that Ashe represents determinism (which in my books give her a dash of villainy). These amounts of greyness is such a good point it makes this game even better

[@kylemundy8871]

This is phenomenally well done and thorough. Great work

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks for that feedback Kyle! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@davemarx7856]

I think the game gave what it promised. This game reminds me of final fantasy 2 in it's narrative

[@trufreedom]

I am curious about why the narrative reminds you of FF2. I think FF2 has an underrated story that has more depth than it seems at first. FF12 started off so strong in the narrative department for me, especially involving Ashe and Basch; Unfortunately, I couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed by events after the tomb of Raithwall. All of that aside, I was just curious about what made you think of FF2? :)

[@KetchupBlood94]

Good analysis, I really liked FF12, but my 3 problems with the game that prevents it from being a masterpiece is the unrealized potential in the story, the quickenings being bad, and espers being useless. The story could have been improved if they had kept Reks instead of Vaan, having his story being the soldier that survived, was witness in court to Basch's trial, and after 2 years try to come in terms with the truth that Basch was framed and he was used in scheme. The ending for him would have been him being reinstated in the dalmasca's army, being Ashe's guard, while Basch is Larsa's. And Penelo should have been replaced with Larsa, the young prince that would join the party in hopes of mediating the peace between Dalmasca and Archades, but would realize Vayne is too far gone, and would have to come in terms with that the empire's future is something he has to take hold of in order to prevent war between Rozzaria and archades. Penelo had too little relevance compared to Larsa in the story. The quickenings and espers deal far too little damage to bosses, and are overkill for mobs. The summons should have been an addition to the party instead of replacement to the 2 other partymembers, fighting alongside them. the quickenings should not have been cutscenes but in-world super attacks. And I disagree with your points about License board, as restricting the License board to jobs instead of free reign does make them unique and interesting instead of uniform and boring team setup.

[@jjkeyboards]

Excellent points - definitely agree about the redundancy of Espers and Quickenings in the game where it counts. Which is a shame too, because I love the design and Bestiary entries of all the Espers

[@ETHomerin]

In time FFXII grew on me a lot and now it's one of my favorites. I felt a lot of fear of getting a game over while exploring. Fear counts a lot for me. Going to places especially the secluded ones like the Great Crystal was terrifying. I liked that the main playable character was not the central character because it made me feel like the observer on a journey. Absolutely loved the game and the Zodiac Age perfected the party development. The only downside for me was really that I felt there was a lot of cut conversation between the party characters on their journey. And I didn't like the way Vaan was drawn with his fetus face or how he behaved like a naive child when he had a backstory with a reputation among the Dalmascan's as being this street smart kid, but acted to be more like an innocent spoiled suburb kid. In other words a kid who was going at being a thief in his home city occupied by a foreign super power wouldn't steal a crystal from a royal chamber then show it off to a new stranger in the sewers like he did when him and Balthier met Ashe lol. I think having him be the main character was good, but I didn't like how he acted. That being said, I still loved the game. It's political scenes, it's exploration, the voice acting was the best in the series by far especially for Ashe who might be my favorite character in the series, and above all the terrifying mystery that was the behavior of the Occuria. Those armor like specters and their iambic speech scare me more than anything in Final Fantasy.

[@foxpopulii380]

This is my time trying a video of yours. I went with this one because it’s one of my favorite FFs. You’ve really done the game justice. Instant subscribe! Keep up the wonderful work.

[@AlleywayJack]

Ace, thanks so much I'm glad you liked it!

[@rickywinterborn1004]

Mate, I’m only 25 minutes in and this is already fascinating. What you said about the fonts is so true, they really suit this game.

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks man, glad you like it, hope you enjoyed the rest!

[@Talsbynians]

I just recently finished this game, like a week ago, and I was one of those disgruntled folk who felt off about the story’s characters. I’m always pretty open to the mainline games departing from norms like FF8 did, but for some reason, XII just felt a little too far gone on the character and story sides. After watching this, I think I have a much higher appreciation for the game then I did and now I kinda wanna replay with a different mindset, seeing how this game kinda ages like wine (even though I just finished it)

[@goncaloferreira6429]

FF12 Ivalice is great. It feels a lived place. It has several races and cultures and a sence of History permeates the narrative and locales. It looks great but perhaps there is too much reskins of enemies.Gameplay wise there are some useless spells and the adopting of respawning chests and crazy enemy spawning enemies and events are a negatives in my book.

[@kargarok11]

I really appreciate that you made this, man. Keep up the good work. Something special about this game and I think you laid it all our perfectly

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks man. Yeah it always stood out to me, really enjoy it.

[@evanwoodham6296]

I really like your point about the narrator segments being appropriate. I think they allow the game to have an epic scope while maintaining the rule that dialogue has to be mostly subtextual. It was really important to have above the belt narrator segments in order for the dialogue and the game to have the beliw the belt intrigue and backstabbing feel. I think another reason the narration was good was that some of it was misleading intrigue that wasn't apparently so to most players the first run through. I had a bad reaction to it the first time around, but in hindsight enjoy it.

[@DavidAnthonyH]

You really deserve more views! This is a really great analysis and discussion, really in-depth

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks David! Appreciate the comment.

[@shaunlee90380]

Greatest analysis on FFXII I've seen yet. Love that you touch upon the ideological conflicts at its core. Are you planning one for Tactics Ogre: LUCT? Yasumi Matsuno at his best, imo

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks I'm glad you liked it. Tactics Ogre hasn't been on my radar tbh, in fact ive never played it! I'm only aware of it due to Matsuno.

[@shaunlee90380]

@@AlleywayJack Final Fantasy Tactics is very much a spiritual successor to TO, sharing many underlying themes, as well as general structural similarities. TO however, is more narratively complex, and imo, a 'purer' expression of Matsuno's vision, without the need to conform (to a degree) to the conventions of the FF series (not necessarily a bad thing here, as FFtactics is an amazing game), which I believe necessitated the underlying spiritual/ cosmic conflict behind the politics taking on a somewhat greater significance in the plot, which is all I'll say on that. Major difference is that TO allows you to make choices which significantly changes the way the story plays out, leading to significantly different endings. It also has a beautiful retranslation by Alexander O'Smith, on the Psp version. TO and FFT have their strengths and weaknesses, but both are amazing. Based on your interest in FFT and XII, definitely worth having a look!

[@AlleywayJack]

Excellent, you've sold me on it. I love that it has branching narratives too because I've always loved decision trees and player determinate endings. Out of interest whats the game length like, compared to say FFT? Just wondering when i can fit it in. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@shaunlee90380]

@@AlleywayJack As it often goes with games of this nature, which allows plenty of room for in-depth customisation (team setups, etc), multiple ways to 'break' the game if you so choose, alternate paths, and side content, I'd say it varies drastically depending on the player, and how much of a completionist they are. For myself, it took about 60hours till I was satisfied, but I haven't yet finished all the content, and I do aim to revisit it at some point. You're welcome! and I'm definitely eager to hear your thoughts, should you wish to publish them at some point

[@shaunlee90380]

@@AlleywayJack Hey, just wanted to bring to your attention the 'One Vision' mod for this game, if you aren't aware of it. Improves the gameplay balance significantly imo, and definitely worth checking out if you aren't opposed to the idea of modding

[@GeneralFatman27]

Wow, that's a lot of words! It's pretty cool to see an actual analysis of the story and characters that goes beyond a surface level retelling. I enjoyed this feature length retrospective.

[@bahamutskingdom]

Final Fantasy XII is the only one of the PS2 era I loved. It was the only title I loved, until XV. (Not the story of XV....but the shear fun of playing the game)

[@kriz2432]

Licenses were not, "REPLACED," as you still have Licenses in each Job... but it was changed because People did not just build their Characters in any one way, like the Devs wanted. They wanted them to build their own Jobs... but People are People and because the Devs didn't put any Limit on how many License Points a Character could get, the People just Over Grinded until every Character could end up being able to do anything and everything. :/

[@frionelhero]

I'm glad I'm watching these videos before redcoat becomes huge!

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks man. Possibly too niche to get huge, but who knows!

[@thunter992]

I've never played this one but giving it a shot on Xbox now after watching this!

[@AlleywayJack]

I hope it lives up to the expectation!

[@Mary-fy8qi]

Absolutely wonderful!! I always thought XII was more mature and restrained in its story telling compared to most of the FF titles. If you have the time, I'd love if you could do an analysis on my favorite in the series, XV. For all of its flaws, it truly helped me through mourning the death of someone very dear to me. In many ways, XV resembles the 7 Stages of Grief. The concept of a game that *SPOILERS* is on a loop after the brothers have all died every time you start the game anew really hit me. Noctis' final fantasy was to reunite with Luna, only to lose her and then eventually his youth. Chapter 13, for all of the hate it receives, was my favorite as Ardyn slowly tortures and drives you and Noctis both mad throughout the long halls. I can't entirely express how important XV is to me (nor as eloquently as you can) but with someone as well informed as you are with your research that you put into your videos, I'd love to see your analysis.

[@AlleywayJack]

Hi Mary, thanks so much for the comment and I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve actually done a complete 180 with FFXV since I first played it - because initially I really enjoyed it but had some misgivings over elements of story (which I posted a video about)… but I’ve since grown to really enjoy it following a second playthrough, and have done some short videos looking at Noctis and Ardyn in detail. I think I will do a longer video on the game eventually, but it’s definitely in a queue :) Also, I really like your idea about the 7 stages of Grief, that’s a very interesting perspective to view the game from; and although Chapter 13 was criticised, I’ve grown to appreciate that as something very purgatorial, like Dante’s journey through hell in Dante’s Inferno for Noctis… but I haven’t given it much thorough thought yet!

[@PureEvil1138]

190 hours on my save file for ps2 and another 80 on my ps4

[@_7thSage-9405]

I love Final Fantasy XII. I loved it when it was first released... Over time, my appreciation of the title has only grown. I would even say that Final Fantasy XII is probably tied with Final Fantasy IX as my favorite FF titles.

[@yeoldehog]

I initially disliked ff9. ;-) but eventually I came to enjoy it as much as any of the others. There is still not a mainline FF game I have not enjoyed.

[@Afr0Punk]

I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Thank you.

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks Charles, glad you liked it

[@michaelhowell2809]

Great content. You know your stuff. Good luck on your channel growth!

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks Michael :)

[@SpookieVonDookie]

FFXII is one of my favorites in the series. I loved watching this, good commentary.

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed this :)

[@shedijon]

My friend group got into FFXI, we would take our xbox360s to Alan's apartment and play together. But Corey's Xbox got the red ring of death so we did a group playthrough of ff12 while we waited for the repair. It was fun.

[@Isaac-ju8lx]

I must say I appreciate your work. I've been wondering what I could get out of this game besides entertainment, as it presented a rich story, world and symbology. It got me to wonder why we listen to and create stories and characters perhaps in a way that Tolkiens stories probably did to previous generations. It got me to wonder about the spirit of these fantasy worlds beyond what was literal and Canon. Not being the only one appreciating the deeper aspects of these games gives me hope in a way. So thanks again!

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks a lot, appreciate the comment and your thoughts

[@zachconneely2701]

Basch is Obi Wan and Penelo is Rose

[@LegacyCosts]

Playing through ff12 for my first time currently as I just couldn't get into it in 2006. Highly intelligent analysis. I wish the story telling in the game wasas concise as your video. loving the game, can't wait to play it again with new jobs

[@LegacyCosts]

Felt vayne turning into a muscle bound cliche villain at the end hurt an otherwise nuanced and brilliant villain

[@AlleywayJack]

@@LegacyCosts I did find that weird. I suppose it's an FF convention, and represents how this suave subtle villain has so thoroughly corrupted himself... but I agree that could have been visualized in numerous better ways.

[@Iychoenk]

Why everone complain about the Story? Is the stoy not really good? Because im not play yet ...

[@bromanultra6364]

Finally going to play this one. Awesome content as always

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks Mike. Interested to see what you think after you playthrough!

[@gunsmithcat7542]

23:30 - you should do a video focused on things like this - about Final Fantasy XIV's story - or rather: Stories.

[@kupokinzyt]

I love your name! I believe Jack is from Final Fantasy IX isn't it, the legendary card player?

[@AlleywayJack]

Yes it is, I always liked that character :)

[@kupokinzyt]

@@AlleywayJack Just how I got my name, I've went by Kupo since I was 7, years and years ago! I love moogles

[@lolimmune]

I love 12, but I know some didn't, to each there own.

[@thechurchofshulkanism1077]

I'm curious as to why you failed to mention the final fantasy tactics advance series or the direct sequel to twelve, revenant wings

[@InfinityNexusReviews]

I bought this the day it came out on PS2. I loved the gameplay in 12 but was never a fan of the story. However after watching this I think perhaps I should give it another go, you gave it a new perspective for me. BTW have you thought that maybe the Occuria are aliens? Aliens and asteroids were always a trope in FF right up until X. I don't think it's a coincidence that these alien looking creatures live in a meteor shaped thing.

[@AlleywayJack]

Nice observation, and yeah theres definite recurrences with meteors, planets and otherworldly creatures going on so I can agree on that. Regarding the story it definitely grew on me, but a common complaint of XII is that the story lulls in certain intervals, unlike earlier titles it definitely didn't grab my attention straight away, but I've grown to enjoy it

[@InfinityNexusReviews]

​@@AlleywayJack I think 13 had a more interesting story on the surface. We all know about the corridors, but what really annoyed me about that game was that there was very clearly a gambit system in place, but the devs locked it so the player couldn't access it. An example of this would be when go up against at least two enemies and you have two ravagers and a commando. In this situation everybody attacks the same enemy ( like Attack>Party Leader Target). Switch to three commandos though and you'll see two commandos attacking one enemy ( again like Attack>Party Leader Target), but the third commando will ALWAYS attack a different enemy (like Attack>NOT Party Leader Target). This really frustrated me because coming from deeper systems like 7,8,9, and of course 12, I was used to having total control over everything in my party, and having this bad choice of gambit hidden in the mechanics of the game was annoying. So if you manage to stagger neo-ochu you can never maximise that time by causing the most damage with three commandos because one will ALWAYS go for the mini ochus, which is a waste if you've already got neochus stagger percentage to the max. I don't know if you're planning to review 13, but if you do a good way to see this is when you reach a new area so you aren't strong enough to one shot the enemies. I just really can't understand this backwards step with 13, and it's another example of not letting players actually play the game. If they had combined both, 13's stat boosts from individual roles (ravager has higher magic attack stats, commando has better physical attack etc) with 12's gambit system so every role of every character could be set up by the player, allowing for a staggering amount of possibilities, customization, and player control, 13 would have been a lot better. Let's say I like to cast protectra or faithra first in a fight, which can make a difference in some fights. 13 doesn't allow this. Synergists always cast haste first. Why? Not even hastega, they buff each character one spell at a time. What the hell? Check out the section called "AI mechanics" on this page: finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Synergist_(Final_Fantasy_XIII) 13 could have been good but Squeenix didn't respect the player's intelligence, and when people say it's a bad game because of the corridors I just think "You have no idea how deep the bad truly goes in 13" lol!

[@vermillionaether]

Christmas 2006, I had begged my parents for this game and for .HACK G.U. Vol 1. My buddy got the collectors edition and I got the regular edition, but I didn't care I got what I wanted and it was glorious! Fun for months years even. Good times man good times.

[@jairekambui7738]

Great analysis that gave me a new appreciation for the game. I always thought it was good, but one of my least favorites in the series. Any plans on FF XIII in the future? I'd be interested to see your take on that.

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks, glad you liked it :) no immediate plans for FFXIII. I only started playing through it again about a week ago as it's the FF I've played least out of all of them

[@JasonP-d4i]

Square lost the plot when they made a numerical FF game an MMO. The series been lost ever since

[@goncaloferreira6429]

Glad to see you are still going. i am currently playing TZA. After 10 years my original opinion still stand. Because of the open world MMO likeness The game breaks the balancer between gameplay and story. The story, the characters and the scenes are not impactfull and so the game ends up not being MEMORABLE the same way other FF are. It doesnt help that we get a story segment and can lose ourselves in hunts and sidequest for 10hours. During my first walkthrough all those years ago i reached i point late game were i lost interest in the narrative and could barely recall the latest develpment.

[@AlleywayJack]

Yes, good observation about the story/gameplay balance... a common opinion is that the story gets lost at intervals because the player can run off and explore the massive game for however long they want, and actually my first playthrough of this was abandoned because I went off to level and forgot what was happening... which happened to a lot of people I think. My more recent playthrough was purely story-run, so I didn't do any sidequests or exploring which allowed the story to make more sense. Regarding your other comment with the characters, I agree with the Balthier statement completely because he had all the makings of a heroic part, but his backstory was just dead-ends, with the judge and Cid parts being left unexplored. Same with Fran and Ashe. Your point on Ivalice - yes - beautiful rendition of it in this game, it does feel centuries old and with a tangible sense of history!

[@goncaloferreira6429]

@@AlleywayJack Thank for the reply. Curious how we both got lost during our first playthrough. On a similar note, to many, myself included, 12 was one of the FFs they least replayed. That shapes the opinion on the game. Lets see what the remaster makes for 12`s legacy. Question, do you have any videos on vagrant story? Until next time. Be well.

[@samoharachilds]

Fucking excellent work 👌💪

[@joelarmour]

Excellent analysis

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks Joel!

[@bahamutskingdom]

Don't like Final Fantasy IX. Will state it right now. Love Vivi Love some of the sections within the game. Love the Chocobo mini-games. Least played FF main series title behind XIII. XIII has only been played 2 times in the 11 years I have owned it. IX has been played a half a dozen or so more times than that over the last 21 years. I cannot place my dislike of the game, as easily as I can XIII. There is just something about it that did not hit for me. Strangely X is right behind it on least played.

[@AlleywayJack]

Interesting ranking. Where do you stand on 7 and 8?

[@bahamutskingdom]

@@AlleywayJack For me the #1 of the entire series so far will always be VI. It had me from the moment I got through Narshe. Believe it or not, I did not touch it for a year, because I thought it was not open world the first time I played it. VII is a soft spot for me, with the memories of seeing things like Bahamut for the first time. But it holds in 3rd behind IV (Hard Type) VIII is in 4th, with XII hitting 5th. For the pure, unadulterated fun of playing I love love love V and XV. XIII is the only one I have not revisited after the first 2 playthroughs, along with X that has not been touched in over a decade. I for some reason cannot get into them again. I did have a more enjoyable time with IX a decade ago, when I played through it for screenshots for my website. I honestly think it was its release time that hurts it. Directly after VIII, Tactics, and Xenogears, and just before X. So there were games that were far better for me at the time.

[@jaymenjanssens720]

1:02:16 Sky pirate pop culture research :)

[@AlleywayJack]

😅

[@coreyjm8851]

Brilliant

[@Ishidori85]

For the record, I don't like FF IX that much. Back to the video.

[@iceman1979c]

Too many bugs in the game . Lags and enemies have a extra energy boost. Great game too many bugs. Gil lost is the most problem in the game.

[@bayuplay10]

VAAN is unlikeable character... REKS should be the main Character.

[@MCENTRAL8G]

Amazing video i loved it. You should open up a patreon account im sure a lot of your viewers would be willing to donate. At least i would

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video and that you'd consider supporting the channel :) I recently set up a patreon which I'll start linking to in future videos. If you're interested in supporting you can here: www.patreon.com/gamediscourses

[@DasKommandoTV]

"Marquis". Yeah...

[@colefarquhar4120]

Yea yea FF7 gets hyped and shit but let's be real, FF6 and FF12 are top tier.

[@goncaloferreira6429]

On the characters: none are Memorable. Story wise they weild magic and meet gods but overall are indiferent to those deeds- see the talk right after Ashe received the sword from the Ocuria. They all do stuff and go places but they needed more dialogue and decision making to reinforce their personalities. The game also gives scenes to pairs of character- Vaan+penelo, vaan+Balthier - but those scenes often are lightheated and of the serious beat of the story and offer little to no character progression. Vaan: it`s true, he is around. Never does Ashe or any the other characters question in being there and i dont think he gets a moment where he proves himself a invaluable ally. He forgives Bash really quickly and overall doesnt seem to change a lot during the adventure. Penelo: She isnt the adventurous type. Why doesnt she return home after her kidnaping? At least a scene where She tells VAn they should go home and he gives a reason she can agree with would be nice. She cares for Van but is it love? That thing with Larsa goes nowhere. Also, contrary to rebel, rat killer Vaan, she isnt givin a particular set of skills that could be usefull for the party. Balthier: The leading man. He could have been givin some heroic things to do. He having been a Judge doesnt influence anything, does it?HE has the relation with cid but he could have had more spotlight in Archades. His relation with is an early hook but the narrative never gets to explore their backstory. Fran: helpfull in some moments, like when reading ancient text. Doesnt talk much. How old is she?? some much she could have added to present a diferent vision of things and the world. Ashe: She sighs a lot instead of saying something, giving opinions or making a stand. Contrary to her initial presentation she isnt confident, doesnt know what to do. Yesm she is very young but if that was to be an excuse for slowly growing into her role, that Bash could have had a more relevant role early on. Bash: After his friend betrays the cause he could have step up in guiding Ashe but he lets her make all the decisions even when it is clear she isnt ready. He is content to be in the background for most of the story and that lessens his characters that could be strong, kinda like FFT`s Cid. He is a knight, a general. He could have taught Vaan and Benelo some fighting tricks.

[@Someguyonline7732]

The zodiac system was honestly a massive quality downgrade. I much preferred vanilla 12. I actually cant think of one single thing they added that was worth it. Fuck the challenge mode too. XII is my favorite game in the series too

[@gunsmithcat7542]

Why didn't you mention the FF7 girls on your little side-rant about "assertive" women?

[@FelixS.]

FFXII >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FFX

[@jagermeister1487]

i think ff9 is the worst in series. the combat is atrocious , the chocobo minigame is an utter chore, the card game sucks. i have no clue why some ppl regard as the best. the final boss makes no sense as well. (the story is ok)

[@MyNameIsBucket]

When they meant a return to classic FF, they meant BEFORE emo fanboys ruined everything good about the franchise.

[@ytgytgy]

I feel like im a minority in this opinion, but the use of middle english crafted speech and the mass amt of fake english accents steered me way off from this game. Also wtf vaan/penelo. We WaNnA bE sKyPiRaTeS!! Who knows i may play it again someday in hospice 😂🪦