What should've been a half-decent eight hours of sleep was cut short by the realization that I'm going to have to talk about Final Fantasy XII again. Yeah, it's going to be another wasted morning at my desk, eyes feeling like two fried eggs. I'm paying for the sin of revisiting a game I had already written about ages ago. This probably isn't the right attitude to have about game criticism, since as we all know, the possibility that any reviewer would take a second look is astonishingly low, like a dodo howling at the blue moon low. Re-reviews are unequivocably a good thing, but they're not often feasible. Professional critics have insane schedules and are often juggling multiple 50-hour projects at a time. Life's too short and painful to spend time on masturbatory think-pieces that nobody is going to read.
Seriously though, this is one of those instances when my envy for movie critics reaches critical mass. In the time it takes me to play through one "modest-length" game, they can watch a movie ten times, come away with several different conclusions, and deliver some truly brilliant analysis. I have to settle for a dozen paragraphs of barely coherent schlock; explaining game mechanics, feel, and maybe even the story if I hate myself that much. Hate... Oh, that reminds me. A long, long time ago, I played Final Fantasy 12 for 180 hours and hated it. Now, I've just spent an additional 50 hours and wrapped up a third playthrough. Does this mean I actually found love for this game? Well, I definitely like the Zodiac Age version; which combines the International Zodiac Job System with a remastered audiovisual presentation, and an absolute deluge of QOL features (such as fixing Vaan's weird Skeletor abs).
Before proceeding, I have to point out that this piece is not intended to be a retread. If for whatever ungodly reason you need me to tell you how the game works, then my original FF12 review is right here. Mainly, I'm looking at why Zodiac Age is far and away the definitive edition, as well as providing my thoughts on what had better be the last playthrough I'll ever do of this monster of an RPG. Any discussion of mechanics is made with the belief that you're already well-familiar with the gambit system, pausing the game at any time to switch armaments around to prevent status ailments or reduce spell damage, and using summons or awakenings. Actually, scratch that last part. I used one summon to get into Giruvegan and zero awakenings. Maybe they could've helped with a boss, but considering how many of them have immunities or instant esper-killing powers, I never even thought to bother.
My feelings on the combat are still in a fog. Much like previous games in the series, this operates on the notion that every boss, every mark has a specific set of actions and attributes to work around. It's not nearly as open-ended as FF5, or at least, that's not the way I saw it. While looking up job-class guides, I saw someone mention that Oil & Firaga is a potent combination, especially since there's no damage cap. Of course, the instant I try to put the suggestion to work, I discover that just about everything is immune to Oil. That was enough to dissuade from using black magic for almost the entirety of the playthrough. The Monk/Black Mage Penelo was casting bravery and bonking monsters with a stick. Shameful really, because if I had just thought to give her a Cloud Staff, she'd have blown everything away in an instant. Black Magic is extremely strong, but the game is so quick to punish me for trying it that I never considered a workaround.
Part of the issue is that FF12's emphasis on freedom can be punishing for players who aren't managing their inventory. The Opal Ring adds a piercing effect to spells so that they can't be reflected. I could slip it on Penelo while she's flinging spells around, then switch it for the Ribbon when the boss is preparing to launch a barrage of status ailments. However, the instant I enter the accessory menu, I know I'm going to have to scroll through dozens of junky trinkets to get to what I actually need. With the urge to menu lost, I resign myself to having Penelo keep the ribbon and stick to bonking. This RPG is in a perpetual state of logistical combat. Instead of finding the right balance between real world menuing time and game world gambit time, I chose the most inefficient path, all because I didn't think to sell off the useless equipment. Granted, a lot of this is rendered moot by the game running anywhere from 2x to 4x its original speed. Lousy setups and poor decisions fly by at lightning speed.
Sidenote: I think Square-Enix deserves all the flowers for their contributions towards making fast-forward a valid way to play RPGs.
Another aspect of combat that highlights my substandard approach to the genre is Paling. For the unaware, Paling is a temporary immunity to all physical and magical damage. This shows up a lot in the late game, especially if you're hunting marks and super-bosses. I never liked it, yet only now am I beginning to understand why. Paling is the game attempting to re-establish a rhythm to the boss battle. It's actually not that dissimilar to the stagger mechanics that would define FF13. To put it another way, it's a reminder that I'm playing on terms that are not my own and should adjust my gameplan until that phase of the battle has ended. Also, I suppose it's only fair that the enemy gets a turn. I think I just get really salty when I'm forced to play defense, as if I hadn't given myself enough of an advantage with the two Wyrmhero Blades and two Ribbons I've been carrying around.
Trial Mode is a fantastic addition in many ways. Its battles are shorter, yet often more complex and difficult. Stage 17 immediately comes to mind with its three Mindflayers. Facing multiple marks or bosses at a time requires a lot more planning and specialized setups. Although, being honest, I played this mode because it provides a less time-consuming way to obtain incredible gear. The Wyrmhero Blade is normally awarded after killing almost everything in the entire game. In Trial Mode, it's a stage 50 steal. Even if this isn't the most balanced way to approach FF12, I still think it's the most enjoyable. If I want all the cool stuff while maintaining a legitimate story-only run, then it'll require dealing with a ton of side-quests. Many of these optional excursions are the kind that contributed towards my hatred of the vanilla game.
It must be said that my last (hopefully ever) playthrough of this game wasn't a 100% completion run. There are a number of places that I flat-out didn't explore. I still get lost in Vagrant Story's Snowfly Forest. Why would I ever bother with Great Crystal? One optional dungeon I did finish was the depths below Pharos, and that was big fucking mistake. The reward for stumbling through the dark while farming orbs was an annoying boss and a couple megalixirs I never used. I never talked to those hunters out in the Phon Coast, because I didn't want to get wrapped up in their mind-exploding trophy hunt. Yiazmat probably could've been doable, especially at 4x speed, but I settled for just Hellwyrm. The reason I bring all this up is because I have an adversarial relationship with a lot of S-E's post-game content. Fighting reskins with inflated stats and immunities out the wazoo just isn't that appealing. Getting party-wiped in FF5 Advance because some random monster fatal counters X-Fight is some shit that I'd rather just stay away from.
There's plenty of non-combat stuff I really liked. Putting spells and other powerful abilities in chests was an excellent change. Exploration on the whole is more rewarding than before, and that comes entirely down to giving players something to look forward to. One could argue that it's about the journey and not the destination, but this is a Remaster of an Arrangement, the journey's been made. Square-Enix taking the time to make the destination worthwhile lifts the entire experience. Some nice - but not essential - equipment is still subject to chance, but otherwise there's plenty to obtain just from playing normally. The story still isn't amazing, but I've grown to appreciate the character-work a ton. As with Vagrant Story, a lot of the best acting is done with the eyes. The slightest most subtle changes in facial expressions speak volumes. There's a scene in Nalbina Fortress where Fran gives this kinda awkward yet immensely endearing smile and it's just... Damn. Absolute genius work there, cramming years of backstory and characterization into a single moment.
Sadly, I can't think of much else that I want to say. Spending over 280 hours on a single game hasn't given me any deeper insight. If my battle strategies are any indication, I might've even regressed a little. Critiquing a game requires this "always-on" mentality, which is hard to keep up as the years drag on and the injuries accumulate. Still, I had to say something, because otherwise this broken body & mind wouldn't let me rest.
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