FINAL FANTASY XII

Square Enix, PS2, $49.99

One would think with name like Final Fantasy, they would have never made it past the first one. Yet, here we are nearly twenty years later looking upon the twelfth installment of the world’s biggest RPG franchise…and it’s undoubtedly one of the best ever. As fans will tell you, the epic (and often hard to follow) storylines are what any good RPG is all about and XII does not disappoint. It’s a captivating, grandiose tale of an evil empire invading a neighboring kingdom (your’s, of course), thus creating a clandestine resistance movement (surprise, you again) to rise up against it  - shades of Star Wars abound. The characters this time around are actually some of the least colorful in the series but the epic scope of the game carries them through the 40-plus hour quest flawlessly. The biggest shocker of FFXII, however, is the combat system - gone are the random battles of yore. Now you can see every enemy around you and fight or flee them in real time. It’s also become easier to control your party members’ actions through the new ‘Gambit’ system which allows you to program your characters actions prior to battle (e.g. fight stronger enemies first, cure ailing party members, etc.) so you don’t have to micromanage every fight, though that option remains for die-hards. The toughest battle you’ll face won’t be with any behemoths or demigods, however, but with the camera. It’s annoying. That aside, the game speaks volumes for what the current hardware can still do for storytelling and is a gorgeous, compelling swansong for the PS2. Ryan Rayhill

www.square-enix.com

Love: New battle system, Most Interesting FF In Years

HATE: Squirrelly Camera System 

Score: 9.25/10