December 21, 2005

A review of Final Fantasy XII

Fans of the Final Fantasy saga have been biting their nails at the much anticipated release of the next in the series, Final Fantasy XII. The release of this game has been delayed time and time again. However, if you are a dying fan of the Final Fantasy saga, you can probably wait a bit longer.

The reason for the prolonged release of Final Fantasy XII is not known. However, we do know that some changes to the game have been made. For starters, this particular game has a real time battle system. It will be the very first of the Final Fantasy saga to have this. This also means that you will no longer run into enemies randomly as you walk throughout the game, but rather see enemies on the screen and on radar. This way, you can avoid some battles if you so wish.

One thing that remains the same is the ability to summon enormous beasts to aid you in battle. However, this time a summoned beast will aid a single party member throughout battle. This is different as in previous Final Fantasy games when a summoned beast could only do one attack or it would take the place of all 3 characters.

You can still expect awesome graphics and a captivating story line. Final Fantasy XII takes place in a world called "Ivalice." Magic and airships are a common aspect of this world. It starts with a princess named "Ashe," who is the last heir to her kingdom, Dalmasca. Her kingdom has been fighting an epic battle against the Archadian Empire, who has been trying to take over and gain up most power.

Ashe takes up arms against the invading Archadians. Just when she thinks she is at her worst, she meets "Vaan" and his friends. Vaan dreams of being a sky pirate one day. Soon, the group of new friends takes on the Archadians and searches for answers to their invasion.

I can't really give you much more about the story line. I don't want to spoil anything. You will just have to wait for the release. Final Fantasy XII was thought to be released in the United States by April 2006. This, unfortunately, is not true. It won't be released in Japan until March of 2006, which means you can expect it in the United States as late as Christmas of 2006. Hopefully, you can wait that long.