Picking up the Final Fantasy XII remastered demo at a Square Enix event for New York Comic Con 2016 reminded me why I did not like this game.
The year was 2006. I loved Final Fantasy X (I know, it’s not even close to being the best FF game, just let me have this moment), but was disappointed at the disaster that was Final Fantasy X-2 . I thought I was ready to pick up another Final Fantas y game. I thought Final Fantasy XII would be the next great game. I was optimistic. I was naive.
I tried guys, I really did. I tried to get into Final Fantasy XII , but it was boring. Vaan was boring. Penelo was boring. Ashe was OK. Fran was just weird. The storyline wasn’t memorable like FFX , FFVII and FFVIII . The battle system tried desperately to be something new and cool, but it just fell short.
At the time, it felt like the game was meant to play as MMORPG, but they couldn’t work out the mechanics in time. The targeting system caused the camera to constantly jerk and shift perspective. Toggling between characters wasn’t fluid, which made playing the game for extended periods of time difficult due to motion sickness. Before I picked up Final Fantasy XII, the only time I suffered from motion sickness was from first-person shooters. Never had I felt so sick after playing a game. It just felt like it took forever to get through battles.
I went into the remastered demo of Final Fantasy XII for PS4 with an open mind. I hoped the updated graphics would be enough to pique some interest, but other than a more polished look, there’s not much else to say about the remaster. If you never got the chance to play Final Fantasy XII , you’re not missing out.
I’m well aware that I may be alone with my distaste for Final Fantasy XII. I wouldn’t put it on the list of worst games ever played, but I’m not sure why Square Enix decided to remaster Final Fantasy XII. They have other games to work on, why waste time porting a game no one really wants to see that badly?
In short, if you liked Final Fantasy XII when it came out, you’ll enjoy the remaster. The graphics are OK for an HD remaster. Let’s face it — you’re buying this game out of nostalgia or you’re not. It doesn’t go much deeper than that. Final Fantasy XII will be released some time in 2017.
