This game completely blew me away. I had never heard anything about it beforehand, so I had no real expectations going into it, but wow, this game is nothing short of a masterpiece. In this review, I’m going to give my thoughts on why I believe this.

First up, I want to talk about the highlight of this game, which would definitely be the world. Ff12 is set in Ivalice, and this country/nation or whatever you want to call it is nothing short of breathtaking. The area design in this game is truly impressive, and the art style complements these designs perfectly, making this entire game gorgeous, especially considering this was originally a PS2 game. Nearly every area is a treat to look at, and I get excited whenever I arrive at a new location. Not only is the world beautiful, but it also feels HUGE. I’ll be bringing this up a lot, but the fact that this was all on the PS2 astonishes me because some of these areas are just massive in size, and it really makes you feel like you’re on an adventure and aren’t just going through virtual rooms. I also find it extremely cool that if you want to go from one side of the map to another, you can totally do that because every single thing is connected in this game, making it feel so much more alive. Ff12 has such an expansive and beautiful world that’s so easy to fall in love with.

As for the plot, I think it is very strong, especially in the first half. I think the political aspects of this game are done very well, and while not as unique or innovative as some of the other Final Fantasy plots, I think it is a much neater and tighter story than what you’ll see in Ff7, for example. While that may not be for everyone, I thought it was a very nice change of pace for once. I absolutely love this narrative; the characters and plot are always moving forward, and it just really helps you feel a sense of adventure and urgency as well. And while I do believe the story is a lot weaker in the second half I still think it accomplishes what it set out to. They also managed to wrap it all up in a very satisfying way despite the final act itself feeling a bit rushed.

Moving on to the characters, I’m slightly mixed on them because while I think they’re all very enjoyable characters who all get their moments to shine, I did feel as if they were a little underutilized throughout the game. Compared to games like Ff9, for example, it didn’t really feel as if the cast is really present outside of cutscenes, you can literally go hours of gameplay without a single one of your party speaking which kinda sucks because in cutscenes they are extremely entertaining, Ashe, Balthier, Vaan, and Fran are all extremely likable, and my only big complaint is that we didn’t get enough of them.

Next, I want to talk about the level design and the actual combat in the game because, unlike previous turn-based Ff games, Ff12 changes things up and transitions into a more active turn-based, NPC-controlling system. I’m not gonna get into specifics about how this works exactly. If you want to know, play the game, but all you need to know is that this system is a blast. The combat is so satisfying and rewarding, and it also requires skill, proper planning, and sometimes even quick reactions to win some of the more difficult fights in-game. There’s also this board thing, which basically lets you pick out the different abilities, stats, and weapons you get in-game, and I absolutely love this. It’s so much fun filling out my character’s boards and altering what and what not I want them to learn. Apparently, some people preferred the OG version where it’s more of a free for all, but I honestly prefer this version where you only get two boards for each character. This makes it so that I have to be more careful and calculating with what I want my characters to learn. As for the level design, well, it’s not that great. A lot of the levels are just essentially just big rooms with no puzzles or anything, and even when there are puzzles, they’re not necessarily all that special. I do, however, believe the gameplay and pretty visuals make up for the lack in actual level design.

Finally, I want to talk about some of the more technical stuff, i.e., the music, voice acting, the FMVs, and any other things like that. First up, I’m gonna cover the music, and god, this OST is incredible. I don’t know much about music, but from what I hear, this OST has tons of woodwind instruments, which gives the entire game such a joyful and cheery atmosphere. I absolutely adore this soundtrack, with some of my favorites being Respite, Discarded Power, and Cerobi Steppe. Now let me talk about the English voice acting real quick, and omg, people weren’t kidding when they said this is one of the greatest localizations in JRPG history because holy shit, this voice cast gives it their 100%. The variety in accents immersed me into the game so more more. By far the best way to experience the game, and I say that as someone who plays the vast majority of his JRPGs in Japanese. Theres also speed up options in this game which makes breezing through monsters and areas you’ve already gone through so much more manageable. And finally the FMVs are as sick as ever. I won’t spoil anything, but the last hour of the game is FMV heaven, holy shit.

All in all, Ff12 is one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, and it is now my favorite Final Fantasy game, surpassing 7. I will be buying the game off Amazon, and I intend to replay it on my PS2 since it’s literally leaving PS+ the day I’m writing this review.

I feel like I'm getting gaslit by the reviews of this game, this is probably one of the worst games I have ever played all the way through. The VO is laughably bad (though the GameSpot review called it excellent), the plot and any sort of character development is borderline non-existent (IGN called the story rich), the gambit system is antithetical to the very concept of playing a video game (Famitsu gave it a perfect score that was only the 6th ever at that point), like what tf am I missing here. There's not really even much to joke about here, like how do you even critique something when the sum of its parts equals zero.

Idk man. I gave a pity 2/5 because it looks nice at times and the music rips. Don't play this.

"Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age" improves upon the original game with its revamped class system, offering players more depth and strategic options. The graphics have been enhanced, and the increased frame rate of 60fps makes for a more enjoyable experience, especially in 2024.

Additionally, the soundtrack has been reworked, although this may be an acquired taste for some players. Personally, I prefer the modernized soundtrack, which adds a fresh twist to the game's audio experience.

Overall, "Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age" is a solid remaster that enhances the original game in several key areas. However, while it offers improvements, it may not be enough to sway those who were not fans of the original release.

A masterpiece. I usually write long reviews but I think just saying that to my taste It's the best FF Story, Lore and Gameplay and the remaster for PS4/PS5, PC, Xbox, and Switch is doing the game real justice. The graphics and resolution is great, the freedom and free-roaming vibes are amazing, the music like in every FF game is remarkable and great and the story worth re watching on youtube I went and watched it as a movie in 4K and it was amazing, Love it almost as much as I like A song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones) and other memorable stories. I won't give spoilers but I'll just say that at first I loved the other characters but there's a time when the protagonist says he was running from himself and now become true to himself and I grew to love him as well, all the characters are very very cool and interesting, To sum it up: Story: 10/10 Graphics: 8.8/10 (and that's right after playing VII Rebirth) Characters: 10/10 Gameplay: 10/10 Combat: 10/10 Free Roam: 10/10 The game is a 10/10 and the graphics are amazing they don't look next gen in the sense of what we are used to but the high resolution frame rate and colors still looks amazing I don't care.

Almost 3 months of gaming. A few other games were played in the meantime, a bit of Helldiving, a trip to Gotham, but Ivalice had this firm grip that I don't regret spending 80+ hours on. It's a hell of a game from start to finish. The gambit system is great to get the hang of, automating your party makes you feel real big brained. FF12's general structure is great and TZA's second license board gives you a lot to experiment with.

Of its flaws, the game can drag dependent on your means of progressing the content. Those hunts in tandem with story content sure took me awhile. Some characters also fall short in the writing department, Penelo being the go-to example. FF12: The Zodiac Age is an easy recommendation, but buckle in cuz it's a long one.

Another Final Fantasy game about endless grind to defeat the final boss.
License and Gambit systems are cool, the story is interesting, but about 70% of the total game time has to be spent grindin' experience, license points and money for equipment.
Bro, in JRPGs I just want to go through story dungeons 😭

P.S. Fran's buns are amazing

If you can, give it a try once its on sale. This is one of the best RPG to get into, even these days XII holds well. The battle system is very dynamic with and without the gambits active (i know, SHOCKING how people tend to criticize that "the AI plays for you" instead of just toggle the option OFF and play like a standard turn-based combat if you want to your choices to be precise as such). Lots of classes, weapons, armors, magicks and builds to make. The graphics on the ps2 versions was beautiful and pretty much the best you could get for that time; in the remaster its... fine, the art design in almost everything looks stunning, but what can hold you back if you are more into the modern ultra-realistic type of graphics its the character models, they look too animesque, but since i don't go for that, it doesn't bother me at all. The story, not get into spoilers, reads like if you ask for a star wars fan to recite the main conflicts in the original and prequel trilogy's to a fan-fic writer; it will be too serious for some people sometimes, and it won't get your attention unless you open up to endure the politics of the world. And its a big BIG world that seems so alive and interconnected in an amazing way that we don't see as much these days. Every enemy, every boss, heck, even non-hostile NPC's seems believable where they spawn live, with the weather conditions of the region, like when you visit an area that its completely dry, the mobs that will spawn there will be more desert type creatures that can live in those environment; if you come back later in the game to these same region when the rain season start, all the human npcs won't be there anymore and the enemies that you'll encounter will be stronger and amphibious-like creatures that can live in that conditions. And also if you spend more time inside those regions, the rain can get heavy, turning into a thunderstorm, and you will encounter something really bad.