I finally looked up some in-depth stuff about Final Fantasy XII and all I can say is ....ehhh.


First of all: http://www.ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/art/art3.jpg

WHY, HELLO TIDUS, AND HELLO TO THE SHORTEST SKIRT I'VE EVER SEEN. Seriously, can we have a hero who doesn't have his fucking chest hanging out? Maybe if he didn't look so much like McWankerson it would be less sickening. Good thing Ashe isn't going to be fighting any wars in that skirt of hers. Oh, wait...

http://www.ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/art/art6.jpg

I've been saying it since the first time I saw a picture of him, and I'll say it until I die: GAAAAAAAYYYYYYY. Fran is giving off definite Freya-ish vibes. If she's half as ass-kicking as Freya, she'll be a great character. I just hope to god her name is pronounced with a short A (frahn instead of just fran).

http://www.ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/art/art14.jpg

This guy reminds me of Amarant for some reason, I think it's the 'why the fuck am I traveling with these idiots?' look on his face. However his gay-gone-wrong hairstyle is putting me off. And woah. What awful lower chest exposure. Can't anyone wear a WHOLE shirt in this game?

So it appears we have our required stereotypical roles:
-The blonde, girly, easy-going and courageous hero (Vaan, previous roles: Tidus, Zidane)
-The runaway princess *cough*Mary Sue*cough* lead female who falls in love with said hero, complete with perfect figure (Ashe, previous role: Garnet, Rinoa)
-The strong-willed obscure-looking female, no doubt with an Angsty Tragic Past (Fran, previous roles: Lulu, Freya)
-The mean/cold loner, who is of course a few years older than the rest, who probably undergoes a Dramatic Change by the end of the game (Basch, previous roles: Auron, Amarant ... Paine O_o)
-The good-natured optimistic female (Penelo, previous roles: Rikku, Selphie)

I honestly don't know how to categorize Balthier, other than GAY. He is most comparable to Irvine, the confident-at-first-but-really-a-chickenshit type who ends up redeeming himself (or not). He even uses a gun. There's something about guns in Final Fantasy that makes people gay (Vincent, Rufus, Irvine, Laguna, YUNA...)

Humor aside, I'm liking the way the battle system is described. The AI sounds challenging and realtime battles keep things interesting. I'm glad they're finally incorporating field battles, although that could get annoying very quickly in-game. It sounds even more fast-paced than FFX-2's battle system. I don't like the idea of AI-controlled characters though (as was mentioned as a possibility for the summons.)

The story sounds way too much like Tactics, although it's based around the same basic idea. I don't want to play the same storyline. I can only hope it makes more sense than Tactics. (Minus 500 points for re-using Ivalice, by the way.) What bothers me the most is the game's Lord of the Rings-type feel. Seeing Fran with that huge freaking bow made me think Legolas. I don't ever, ever want to be reminded of Legolas. Damn you, Squeenix.

I would like to see this game make more use of new plot devices. Death of a major character aside from the ending hasn't happened since FFVII. I want to laugh while I'm playing this. I want to cry. I want to die a little inside (although looking at Vaan meets that qualification.) If I don't connect with the characters, I don't connect with the game. For once I would like to see the main male and female NOT fall in love, though obviously that won't happen this time around. Perhaps a tragic end to their romance would be enough to make it good.

I'm not certain how the learning of skills and such will take place. If it's job classes I'll love it. If it's not, it'll still probably be okay. For the most part I trust Square in that regard. The only time they really fouled it up was with the junction system. Ungh, just typing the words made me feel a little sick.

The last thing I have to say is, what the fuck? Why is everyone blonde? I've been wondering that since Tactics. It's like the fucking Aryan society in Ivalice. Maybe it'll be explained in the game (HAHAHAHA, THAT'S A GOOD ONE, V!)

Oh, and please, Square or Square-Enix or whatever you're called now. Don't kill off my favorite character. Just this ONE time don't do it.

...Now it'll happen for sure. Damn.