Final Fantasy Tactics

Anyone looking for an RPG that's a little bit different, something other than the norm, and requires a little more brainwork similar to that of chess or, as before mentioned, "Shining Force", should pick this one up. This is definitely a game that will keep you glued to the screen for a while!

The graphics are reasonably good, with three dimensional characters and environments. The church you start out near, for examples, looks like one you might construct out of paper and color the walls of. Very flat with few surfaces, but relatively reasonable for the time.

Gameplay involes you and your group of up to 7 friends trying to figure out a war between two halves of the country you're in. Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses, of course, and they gain in skill as they go through battles.

Battle is turn based and involves your 3D characters and your enemies on a map. You have to move close to your enemies to fight with them, and figure out who to move in close and who to keep further off. This is different than the Final Fantasy RPG series where in essence your team stands in a line, the enemy stands in a line, and you simply fire at each other.

There are of course chocobos, your yellow friends that can carry you around. In this version, they can even lay eggs! You never know what will hatch out of one, and it's a neat way to add new monsters to your group.

I will comment that the translations are pretty awful, the letters appear S - L - O - W - L - Y on the screen and the plot is rather complex with names and alliances to keep track of. But that's a minor flaw given how fun the game is.

Highly recommended to any Final Fantasy fan, even though it's a bit old. You can usually get it inexpensively, and it's well worth it!

1. The battle system. Yeah, it takes a little getting used to, but once you do (in two or three battles - and the development team saw fit to include a large tutorial and a simple first battle) it clearly shows its superiority. Instead of stampeding through every battle with thumbs blazing through menus, you can take your time to figure out just what you want to do with your five-unit party. Let's face it: Active Time Battle is the product of the coked-up Eighties, when everybody saw time going past as a blur. (Yeah, I'm ranting, so what? My review.)

2. Character creation. Instead of your characters being fated to a single identity (i.e. Cloud's Heavy Physical, Aeris is Healer, Barrett's Heavy Missile...), you can decide for yourself what you want them to do. And after that, if you change your mind, you can make them something else. Or you can mix and match abilities from different classes, allowing you to make just about anyone you want. Warrior mage? Check. Heavy-armored ninja? Yup. Wizard with a gun? Oh yeah.

3. Storyline. Despite the often garbled translation, nit-picked by so many impatient gamers, the plotline is a testament to the tried-and-true Hero's Journey, to the tune of a backdrop of political intrigue, national and religious corruption, and the theme of finding true motives when everything around one is tainted by selfishness and personal agenda. The main character, Ramza, even undergoes change in feelings and goals as the game progresses. Wow, Squaresoft, a dynamic character? Who'da thought they could pull it off?

Yes, the plotline is very hard to follow, and there's a lot of characters to keep track of. What do you expect in a game of political intrigue? Play Final Fantasy 7 if you want an easy plot to follow, you won't be disappointed there either.

If you want stunning graphics, impressive FMV, rapid-fire gameplay, or a good power-trip, go play Final Fantasy 7 or 8 - they're great too. But if you want some incredible gameplay and an engaging, memorable story, play this. Thinkers come this way.