Saturday, January 10, 2009

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions



GENRE: Role-Playing Game / Strategy / Tactics
PLATFORM: Sony PSP
Parental Guidance Recommended
2007 Square Enix Co., Ltd
SCREENSHOTS: Courtesy of RPGFan




SHOPPING:
Artbooks and Strategy Guides
Original Soundtrack
Video Game Shop
Toys and Accessories
Posters Etc.
Everything Else
Amazon.Com Product Description:
In days now long past, the War of the Lions rent the land of Ivalice in two. And it is here that two young men of note first stepped onto history's stage. The first is a man named Delita Heiral, the hero who would draw the curtain on the War of the Lions, this dark act of Ivalice's history. The other, whose role is now forgotten, is a man by the name of Ramza Beoulve. Peer through the eyes of these two young men, and uncover the secrets that lie hidden within history's darkened folds. Originally released in 1997, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a portable update on the classic turn-based strategy game that gave birth to the world of Ivalice. New features include all-new CG sequences, all-new jobs, new 16:9 widescreen presentation, new head-to-head multiplayer and new storyline elements that refine the genesis of the Ivalice Alliance.

Features:
  1. Witness the origin of the Ivalice Alliance, a series of titles that take place in the same world as Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
  2. Animated sequences combine hand-drawn style visuals with computer graphics
  3. Enhanced widescreen presentation, new jobs and new characters
  4. Challenge friends in head-to-head battles with the multiplayer function or team up in the co-operative mode and try to outwit the game's computer opponents
  5. Introduction of the Onion Knight and Dark Knight class

Still one of the best tactics game of all time... >>> by skysenshi (01.01.2009)
Happy New Year!

Sorry it took me this long (more than a month) to write a review about Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. The thought of my broken memory card -- 80 hours into the game and just about enjoying Balthier's presence in it -- is just too painful. Heh. Gameplay-wise, everything I said about the original Final Fantasy Tactics still stands. FFT is still one of the best tactics games I've ever encountered although this installation has a few notable modifications, all of them reason enough to increase replay value.

First, you have new characters. Well, not really new if you've been playing Final Fantasy for a while now. Balthier, of Final Fantasy XII, is one. I picked War of the Lions up just for a chance to see him -- and hear his sexy accent -- again. With the new animated cut scenes, though mostly made of cutesy cell-shaded figures, I found myself squealing into greater heights.

Luso, of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift, is another. Though an elementary school kid in his own game, Luso is easily one of the most powerful characters you can have in your party. The only downside to having Luso and Balthier in War of the Lions is that they are competition for your old favorites, namely Ramza and Mustadio. You can't exactly remove Ramza, but Mustadio (who just might be Balthier's descendant, if you note their surnames) is rendered nearly useless. Unless you plan to transfer Balthier's gun to him, which, as you can guess, I was not about to do. I was having trouble planning who to put in my party, considering the fact that, if my memory card hadn't gone fzzzzzt, I would still be getting awesome Excalibur-wielding Orlandu later in the game.

Second, the AI, which a lot of people complained about in the original, has improved tremendously. This only means that the battles have become challenging, some of them even difficult. I don't remember any battle being close to moderately difficult back in the day. Then again, it could be me getting addled with age.

I also managed to unearth some new experiences. Like, I didn't know that Mustadio had a spitting chance at a love life until I stumbled upon a side quest involving him and a certain swordswoman. Hm.

Overall, I'm thankful that FFT had been revived and ported to the Sony PSP. It's probably still one of the best Ivalice Alliance games that Square Enix has come up with. Incidentally, FFT: War of the Lions is the only one among the Ivalice Alliance that doesn't use that blasted lethargy-inducing Final Fantasy XII soundtrack.
Other Ivalice Alliance games I'm currently playing:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Copyright 1997 - 2010. The Kraiders Otaku Fridge. All content, except screenshots, belong to the webmaster.