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chuckroBefore playing this, I don’t think I realized you could have a “Plot, What Plot?” RPG.
The original Final Fantasy Tactics had a deeply involved and intricate story of political intrigue and betrayal, uncovering a conspiracy of demons behind a corrupt church. The battle system was effectively new to the American market, and despite a few translation issues and game-balance issues (it was easy to make a stupidly overpowered caster, and the game handed you a totally broken melee fighter in the last chapter, but several of the fights were literally impossible if you weren’t prepared), it was an excellent game.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance had to slim down some aspects of the battle system because of system limitations, and made the game a bit less linear by adding a mission system (most of which were optional). It cut the number of relevant characters down significantly, mostly to the main character and his friends, but it did actually go for development (and antagonism) between them and presented the main character with some difficult choices. (There are a number of interesting Wild Mass Guessing theories that have spawned from Marche’s action in that game--my favorite of which is that he’s actually the villain of the piece.)
FFTA2 cuts out most of the supporting cast and any “difficult choices”. Luso, the main character, is sucked into a different world by a magic book, and must have adventures until the book is full of stories, at which point he can go home. There are a few subplots about crime syndicates and the like, but for the most part, that’s all there is to it. The plot is an excuse to play a whole lot of missions.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the game—I apparently liked the system mechanics enough to play 73 hours of it. But it was akin to playing a beat-em-up or a racing game: The story didn’t matter, the point was just playing. Unlock the better classes and abilities, get the best items, win the tournaments, tick up the “completed missions” counter. But at the end of all that, the plot can still be summed up in a sentence. The characters are one-dimensional, the ending is exactly what you expect, and there really aren’t any twists.
Basically, if you wish you could play more tactical RPG missions, then you might enjoy this. If you staggered through FFT or FFTA (or Disgaea, or Hoshigami) because you liked the plot, then this isn’t worth your bother.
I also played a bit of Phantom Brave and Ephemeral Fantasia last month, but I think I want to go back to them before I ramble. And I've started Shadow Hearts: From the New World, which has me saying the MST3K Mantra from the bizarre bits thrown about, but appears to have caught my interest nonetheless.
The original Final Fantasy Tactics had a deeply involved and intricate story of political intrigue and betrayal, uncovering a conspiracy of demons behind a corrupt church. The battle system was effectively new to the American market, and despite a few translation issues and game-balance issues (it was easy to make a stupidly overpowered caster, and the game handed you a totally broken melee fighter in the last chapter, but several of the fights were literally impossible if you weren’t prepared), it was an excellent game.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance had to slim down some aspects of the battle system because of system limitations, and made the game a bit less linear by adding a mission system (most of which were optional). It cut the number of relevant characters down significantly, mostly to the main character and his friends, but it did actually go for development (and antagonism) between them and presented the main character with some difficult choices. (There are a number of interesting Wild Mass Guessing theories that have spawned from Marche’s action in that game--my favorite of which is that he’s actually the villain of the piece.)
FFTA2 cuts out most of the supporting cast and any “difficult choices”. Luso, the main character, is sucked into a different world by a magic book, and must have adventures until the book is full of stories, at which point he can go home. There are a few subplots about crime syndicates and the like, but for the most part, that’s all there is to it. The plot is an excuse to play a whole lot of missions.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the game—I apparently liked the system mechanics enough to play 73 hours of it. But it was akin to playing a beat-em-up or a racing game: The story didn’t matter, the point was just playing. Unlock the better classes and abilities, get the best items, win the tournaments, tick up the “completed missions” counter. But at the end of all that, the plot can still be summed up in a sentence. The characters are one-dimensional, the ending is exactly what you expect, and there really aren’t any twists.
Basically, if you wish you could play more tactical RPG missions, then you might enjoy this. If you staggered through FFT or FFTA (or Disgaea, or Hoshigami) because you liked the plot, then this isn’t worth your bother.
I also played a bit of Phantom Brave and Ephemeral Fantasia last month, but I think I want to go back to them before I ramble. And I've started Shadow Hearts: From the New World, which has me saying the MST3K Mantra from the bizarre bits thrown about, but appears to have caught my interest nonetheless.
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Date: 2009-04-29 08:35 pm (UTC)