I'm searching around for some games to keep me vaguely amused over August and one that looks like a really good time vampire with persistently good reviews is "Final Fantasy XII"

But I have to admit after reading a few reviews I'm still unsure what "Final Fantasy" actually is. Most of the reviews seem to be written assuming the reader has played Final Fantasy 1 to 11 so keep comparing it to past games, which I have no idea about. I gather it's some sort of Japanese(?) RPG in a huge free roaming world(yay!) but that's about it.

So...

...what the hell is Final Fantasy and should I get Final Fantasy XII?

The storyline in each game is totally unconnected so you should be able to pick up whatever one and just play it. I played XII ages ago, didn't see what the big deal was. It's supposed to be one of the best or something though.

The FF series is a turn based RPG, where you control a party of characters. It's a huge time vampire, and very easy to pick up and play. You still have elements you have to complete before you can open new areas though, so is still a bit linear, unlike Oblivion. Also they're usually a 3rd person RPG, as opposed to the 1st person of Oblivion

In the series generally speaking there is NO correlation to previous games, apart from a character that is always called Cid, ostrich like bird called a Chocobo and a weird cat thing called a Moogle.

I think it'd be what you're after though.

If you have any specific q's just ask here, I'll endeavour to answer them.

So I can't just wander around exploring the world? Or I can wander around exploring the world but I won't find many quests to do?

What Tama really wants to know is does it have a linear storyline or can he just go off smashing things up like he does in GTA.

Avoid: Japanese gayness ahead.

Most of the time you can just wander around exploring and generally pissing about until you do one of the necessary bits to open up further bits of game. It really really sucks up time. I recently went old skool and played FF8 for 107hrs and I'm a third of the way through FF7 at 69* hours, but have gotten it out of my system now the sun is shining.

*hurh hur

E Dogg Capizzle wrote:Avoid: Japanese gayness ahead.

Is there mini games involving tentacle sex with school girls?

Tama wrote:

E Dogg Capizzle wrote:Avoid: Japanese gayness ahead.

Is there mini games involving tentacle sex with school girls?

I wish. From my experience you do get lots of long-winded semi-coherent emotionally overwrought conversations though. Though maybe the games I played were atypical in that respect.

E Dogg Capizzle wrote:

Tama wrote:

E Dogg Capizzle wrote:Avoid: Japanese gayness ahead.

Is there mini games involving tentacle sex with school girls?

I wish. From my experience you do get lots of long-winded semi-coherent emotionally overwrought conversations though. Though maybe the games I played were atypical in that respect.

Ah no, that is true. Often the characters seem very angsty and emo. Sometimes I just want to stab them in the eye, but I can't

Tinkerbell wrote: Sometimes I just want to stab them in the eye, but I can't

Good to hear is wasn't just me. The urge to stab eyes was nowhere near as bad as that I felt during Metal Gear Solid though.

So they say things like "My heart hurts like the wreckage of a thousand origami planes crashed into the lily of everlasting pain?"

Tama wrote:So I can't just wander around exploring the world? Or I can wander around exploring the world but I won't find many quests to do?

The latter.

Final fantasy VII ftw. So far everything from ps2 onwards has been a let down, XII was shite.

Chickenman wrote:

Tama wrote:So I can't just wander around exploring the world? Or I can wander around exploring the world but I won't find many quests to do?

The latter.

There are shit loads of sidequests in ff7. Try beating ruby and emerald weapon, that's a challenge if there ever was one.