@perpride

FFXII is indeed one of the best FF games ever made, but your reasons, and every reason that we who liked the game can show to those who hate the game, will fall into deaf ears. Those who hated the game, hated it with a passion, like it was something personal sometimes.

But I'll never be able to understand why. It was easily one of the best plots they've had in the entire series!!!

you know what before I just go off on another rant about how good the game is I'll just give up.

@perpride

I know that, Final Fantasy XII is my second favourite Final Fantasy, I loved the plot, the character developments, the battle system, the Hunt system, the addition of a compendium, everything ;)

But people hate it, mainly for two reasons, from what I gathered from comments around this site: Story (Too complex for them, most of the times), Battle System (Too easy or too boring, because most people played always with Gambits on, never knowing that you could turn them off and control the entire party yourself, adding a huge amount of challenge in the most complex battles of the game)

People hated it because it strayed far away from the usual FF formula. (turn based etc)

It seems alot like an MMOrpg IMO.

Oh and and the main character had no character development in the game.

@gustave

Tell me how did FFX fit into the traditional FF formula then, with it's strictly turn system formula, instead of an ATB system that has been on the series since FF1?

Why didn't it get any heat because of that?

Tell me how does FFXIII fit into the traditional FF formula then, with it's extremely fast paced action system?

There's a thing called evolution and expansion, that has always been on the FF saga, and that's it's true formula, it's true tradition. No FF has always been the same, and if FF fans are expecting for any new FF game to stick into archaic formulas, then FF is no series for them.

Also, do you say that Vaan had no character development? That's funny, since everyone who understood the actual story of the game, know that Vaan, Penelo and Ashe's story and structure are intimately tied to Dalmasca's struggle for freedom. They are their representation, their voice and their strength.

The plot was actually the only thing I liked, and yes it was one of the best plots in the entire series (excluding Final Fantasy IX and VI and IV!), but the problems for me and many gamers were the characters and their development . I remember Basch being labeled as the main sometime and that would have totally worked. Vaan could have been a character that wants to challenge Basch and actually try his hardest to defeat Basch.

Edit: Vann would obviously join the team once he learns the truth...so on.

Also the music wasn't as awesome as final fantasy before it. Gameplay is mixed back, while I liked it early on, it made the game way to easy, and sometimes I didn't even have to do anything because of the gambit system.

Edit: In the end I believe it lacked the hook that final fantasy games had.

Wait, what? People are upset that Famitsu, a publication that hands out perfect scores more easily than candy, didn't give this a perfect score? Heaven forbid this isn't a perfect game?

What has the world come to?! -_-

The main problems with FFXII was:
1. gambits, i mean i am an experienced ff player i do not want to watch the computer execute my characters moves for me, for this reason i turned gambits off, all the way through FFXII.
2. vaan, a really irritating, under-developed character, i would had preferred if he did not exist and someone else was made the main character.
3. game length - too long!! if you wanted everything then it just simply takes too long. Since i love collecting everything as i have always done with all ff's i especially got frustrated with this game.

I'm actually pretty middle-ground on FFXII. I did like the story, but I wasn't big on some of the characters (Vaan Penelo and Ashe just annoyed me whenever they opened their mouths, everyone else was cool though).

As for the combat system, yeah it was too easy, and yeah I had gambits on, and I knew I could turn them off at any point, but I don't agree with self-imposing limits when playing a game. To me, game difficulty should be set by things like the combat system, maybe an scaleable internal difficulty setting, etc.

But even with all that, I liked the combat system, I wasn't bored, I enjoyed chaining kills and just running around. My problem was the attempt to simulate MMO style play. As an MMO player, I like the difference between my single-player and MMO games. Mixing the two was a disaster to me. Essentially, the entire time I felt like I was playing a very good MMO alone. All I could think about the whole time was 'Wow, I wish I was playing this with other people'.

I always hate when people say this, but this is the one time I would agree, this game would have been AWESOME to me if it were multiplayer. Unfortunately it isn't, so it's part of my 'Not good, Not bad' list of FF games (or RPGS in general).

My favorties are FF4 (for my memories of that game, met one of my best friends back in the day, we were both playing this game and we were both at the Asura fight), FF6 (my number 1), FF7, and FF10.

Never speak directly to me of FF8 or FF9 =P I think I've mostly blocked those 2 out by now anyways.

As for FFXIII, I'm officially excited! I've been looking forward to it for like 17 years since they started the development, but the original excitement wore off (read as FFXI and FFXII dulled my FF frenzy). Give it a 30/40, I don't care, I still want it.

Edit: On gambits, I never had them on for whatever character I was using. But you mentioned how you could control the whole party with no gambits on, I would never do that.

@Acevil

Music is a valid complain, I actually agree that it is far from what other FF's have accomplished, even though it does have on or two actually good scores. Basch has the best character development in the game, especially once you understand his blood feud with Gabranth.

@Jneul

FFXII total completion lenght pales in comparison to FFVII and FFX, especially if in FFX you do the entire Monster Arena and Dark Aeons/Penance sidequest, that could go to 200+ hours.

FFXII could easily be finished, getting an Order of Ambrosia ranking and all the rare weapons like Danjuro and Yagryu Darkblade with 130/140 hours tops.

About Vaan, he was annoying, true, but his reasons and character development I explained in the above post ;)

About the gambits, that's exactly what I said, turning them off added to the awesome battle system of FFXII and was actually a challenge unto itself, making the game harder than most FF games.