Current Events > IMO, FFXII had the best aesthetic of the series.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Having to press buttons instead of not having to press buttons = DEEP STRATEGY

Not to mention the fact that gambits are completely optional and can be turned on and off at any time, even mid-battle.
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Fluttershy posted...

if you can automate the relatively mindless parts of a game, why shouldn't you?

Yet, game designers have not *borrowed* the Macro [automated battle command] system from Phantasy Star IV (makes battles in party-based RPGs "too good")? **

** It would be very difficult to backpedal--any system not related to Macros, with a design that embodies "powerful simplicity," would be a noticeable downgrade.

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saspa posted...

I also just recently finished playing Zodiac Age, and I definitely had a blast, it was a very fun game, and this time I even did the sidecontent like beating the super ultimate bosses and I even beat trial 100! So yeah that was gratifying.

But I agree very much with what the 2 other posters said about character interactions. For me any story can be forgiven, be it cliche or incredibly convoluted, as long as the character interactions make up for it. And it's unfortunate that in this game, the party has almost 0 chemistry with each other.

Especially considering that Basch and Balthier had so much potential and unfortunately get shafted, more so Basch and they were the best part.

Don't even get me started on the wasted opportunity they had for political intrigue with the whole Vayne vs the Senate thing, the judges, Larsa, the Rozarrian Empire... could have had a real Julius Caesar epic unfolding but it's just taken care and mostly forgotten about just like that. Just a damn damn shame, 12 could (and imo should) have been Final Fantasy's swansong.

I played it back on PS2, and this is pretty succinct. I've never seen a game have so much great world-building potential, and then proceed to do next to nothing with it. Every character was interesting when they were introduced, but their development just almost ceases to exist afterwards.

I played FF15 last year, and despite that game having some storytelling issues as well, at least it had an actual sense of camaraderie and personality.

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keep trying to change it to strategy when it's about playing. we get it, you'd rather watch a let's play then play a game yourself.

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decisions =/= strategy

so first i want to say that i think that's wrong and giving players decisions to make is literally the only amount of strategy that a final fantasy game can offer, but even then, i'll entertain your arbitrary definition and point out that the gambit system allows you to make decisions without paging through menus so yes, you absolutely can untie that from forcing them to mash 'x' and page through menus. again, you make these decisions before fights start in both systems anyway.

but honestly i'm giving you too much time and thought because your argument is just 'but i don't get to play the game i'm not hitting x enough times'. i'd imagine tc would like their topic back.
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FF13 had a good battle system.

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if the game plays itself, the game is a bad game. Then you're just left with bland characters and a bad plot. If you want to play visual novels, then go play visual novels. If you want to watch someone else play the game for you, go watch let's plays. The only thing worse than the gambit system in a final fantasy game is the god awful draw system from 8.

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I Like Toast posted...

keep trying to change it to strategy when it's about playing. we get it, you'd rather watch a let's play then play a game yourself.

By this logic The Sims is not a real video game because you tell them what to do rather than pressing buttons to actually do the things yourself.

There needs to be a dish washing mini game to really feel like youre playing The Sims!
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except even the sims requires you to make more inputs then the god awful gambit system does. I would suggest avoiding trying to use logic in the future if that's how badly you're going to fail at it. No wonder why you want to just watch let's plays instead of actually play the game yourself. Even idle games require more input than FFXII.

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remember vaan's weird chest

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I Like Toast posted...

except even the sims requires you to make more inputs then the god awful gambit system does.

Except it doesnt because just like the gambit system you can turn free will on and off LOL.

You shouldve stopped at Yikes.
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Jabodie posted...

When I played this many years ago, I mostly wished there were more "character" moments, if that makes sense. Idk, at some point late game it felt like I was hitting the cliff notes of a JRPG rather than a full JRPG with all its bull shit, you know?

But I did like the game. Wasn't really interested in the side content though.

I agree... The story was focusing more on the political intrigue going on in the world, which is fine, but it definitely could of used more opportunities for individual characters or party relationships to shine.

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EffectAndCause posted...

Except it doesnt because just like the gambit system you can turn free will on and off LOL.

except the entire point has been that you liked it. hence me responding yikes to you liking a system that takes the game out of video game. I solve the problem of FFXII trying to play itself by not playing FFXII, because it still has dull boring characters and stupid plot and if i'm going to replay a final fantasy there are much better options to choose from.

Please keep chasing your tail. because you can't actually respond to something that's written. I know it's hard for you, having to think on the spot. There's no let's play for you to just copy and paste and do everything for you :( :( :( :(

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I Like Toast posted...

except the entire point has been that you liked it. hence me responding yikes to you liking a system that takes the game out of video game. I solve the problem of FFXII trying to play itself by not playing FFXII

You do realize that you can turn off the gambit system and press every single button that you love to press, right?

I personally dont get any fulfillment from pressing X and the d-pad a few extra times to initiate healing and am fine with Ashe just doing it when their health dips below 50%.

You and only you think extra button presses = more fulfilling experience.

Im still planning, strategizing and organizing my gambits to suit the situation or boss fight, thats all me, my decisions and my BUTTON PRESSES!
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you do realize i've never said ffxii is a bad game because of the gambit system right?

i know you want the game to play itself. Hence yikes. You've then shown your incredible lack of intelectual capacity by reading

So you like the game playing itself?

LOL SO MUCH STRATEGY PUSH X

yeah i didn't say anything about strategy so you like the game playing itself?

LMAO SO MUCH STRATEGY

yeah i still didn't say anything about strategy, so you like the game playing itself?

YOU CAN TURH IT OFF LOL SO MUCH STRATEGY

yeah, i'm aware, but you said you like the game playing itself and i still haven't said anything about strategy.

THE SIMS PLAYS ITSELF YOU NEED MINI GAMES BY YOUR LOGIC?

the sim's doesn't play itself and who said anything about mini games, the entire conversation has been about you liking the game to play itself

OMG YOU CAN TURN IT OFF, SO MUCH STRATEGY!!!

indeed, but you like the gambit system, so you like the game playing itself?

really highlighting why you need the gambit system to play a game as easy as final fantasy.

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Were not talking about strategy, were talking about the game playing itself, and ive clearly explained how extra button presses mean absolutely nothing when it comes to playing the game, and its still the player who strategizes and organizes their gambits to suit the situation.

You can not like FFXII because of the plot/characters, but your reasons for not liking the completely optional gambit system are laughable and factually incorrect.
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EffectAndCause posted...

Were not talking about strategy

EffectAndCause posted...

Having to press buttons instead of not having to press buttons = DEEP STRATEGY

EffectAndCause posted...

You can not like FFXII because of the plot/characters, but your reasons for not liking the completely optional gambit system are laughable and factually incorrect.

If they were incorrect you'd be able to make an actual relevant response. Instead you need to talk about something else because you know I'm right and taking the game out of video game makes it a bad video game. And you like that. Hence yikes.

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SevenTenths posted...

Why even play games when you could just watch a let's play instead? Making decisions uggg so hard

This is you implying that gambits remove strategy, which I was responding to with that quote you plucked.

See I can cherry pick from previous posts too!

And again, as ive said, the player still strategizes and organizes their gambits to suit the situation or boss battle based on their own decisions, gambits just remove the mundane, unnecessary button presses that apparently are the main appeal of video games for you.
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Fluttershy posted...

if you want to run with some arbitrary definition of what is and is not 'playing a game', where more buttons is better, that's fine, but at least label your arguments correctly. you want buttons to hit and that's fine! they make clicker games and i showed you that mario teaches typing game, so there's a market for you.

LOL I just saw this, fucking perfect.
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It had some jems and a pretty good style, but the characters and story just didnt click with me. And the overworld while beautiful was.....somewhat generic and forgettable. Nothing 'popped' like it does in series like xenoblade.

FF13 was similar with its characters, and story. But its world, design and lore seemed a little to ambitious for a one off game that's only about 30 hours long. FF15 made the same mistake but cranked up to eleven.

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I feel like FF7R is a great evolution of what FFXII was trying to do. I found some fun in basically setting up my Gambits to make my team almost indestructible. I get why others felt that made the game play itself however.

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