Final Fantasy XII

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(Final Fantasy XII)
U.S. cover of Final Fantasy XII
Release Dates:	March 16th, 2006 (Japan) October 31st, 2006 (U.S.) TBA 2007 (Europe)
Rating:	ESRB: Teen
Platform(s):	Playstation 2

1 Introduction
2 Gameplay
3 Story
4 FFXII Directory Links

Introduction

Final Fantasy XII is the twelfth linear Final Fantasy game released by Square-Enix. It is exclusive to the Sony Playstation2, and was released on March 16th, 2006 in Japan, and on October 31st in the United States. Final Fantasy XII takes place in the world of Ivalice (the same one that is called home by the inhabitants of Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance), in which you are Vaan, a young orphan street urchin. You are in the midst of a bitter battle of empires, where the kingdoms of Archadia and Rozarria are raging war. Unfortunately for the kingdom of Dalmasca, you get caught in the middle of the war and are taken over by Archadia. The games' release has been highly anticipated by many across the globe, mainly for the lack of a linear Final Fantasy release in nearly 5 years and also because it is implementing new ideas never seen in a Final Fantasy game before. These ideas are stemming from the minds of Hiroyuki Ito and Hiroshi Minagawa, the new developers in charge after Yasumi Matsuno had to back out due to health concerns.

Gameplay

Combat

FFXII returns the all familiar menu systems and options of previous Final Fantasy games, but gives them a new and exciting twist. Being described as an "online game, minus the online aspect", FFXII's battles take a page from Final Fantasy XI, in that you can see your enemies beforehand and there are no switching screens into a fight, everything happens in a seamless manner. The player can control any of the 3 members currently in the battle party at any time, and have them perform any command they have already learned. You initiate battle by engaging with visible enemies, and all of your players can move around at will during the battle. Once you select an option via one of your menus, there is a visible waiting bar until the time required to perform the task has been fulfilled.

The enemies in FFXII can note the presence of your party by sight, smell and sound. You still get random, if still seldom, attacks from monsters attempting to ambush you (ie, hiding in tall grass and jumping out when you aren't expecting it). All the enemies have specific moods and levels of hostility and violence, and they all behave differently. Some enemies will serenely leave you alone unless provoked, some go to the extremes of attacking other enemies nearby, probably debating over who gets to eat you.

The monsters in Final Fantasy XII no longer drop Gil, unlike most other FF games. This makes the game more realistic (how many 4 legged beasts normally carry around $150 under their skin?) and allows for different and more effective ways of obtaining money.

Abilities

FFXII brings with it a few new and unique ways in which to attain and use abilities. The first new addition is the License System (See License Board). Much like in real life, you need to acquire new licenses in order to use new weapons and magic. In FFXII, you can't just find some awesomely powerful sword and use it (just like you can't just pick up a shotgun in the real world and start shooting at stuff with it, legally that is) until you get the appropriate license. Licenses are earned through LP (License Points), which you get a certain amount of everytime you defeat an enemy. The way in which to unlock and acquire licenses is through the License Board which is very similair to a chess/checkers board, except it is irregularly shaped.

The Second new feature implemented as a way to use your abilities is the Gambit system. This system works almost like a primitive computer code, where you can tell certain party members to use abilities or perform tasks only when other events trigger them to. Each variable in your Gambits consist of a target and an action. As an example, you can make a gambit saying "Target: Any party member, HP < 50%, Potion", thus resulting with the character with said Gambit using a potion on any party member once their health drops below halfway. Each character only has room for 12 Gambits (Gambits are unlocked via the License Board, while the different variables are bought at shops).

Mist Abilities

There is an unexplainable "mist" in the world of Ivalice, which causes people to become endowed with enchanted powers and abilities. There are two main abilities that are available for use due to the mist: sumons and quickenings.

Quickenings

Quickenings, called mist knacks in the Japanese version, are the Limit Break system in Final Fantasy XII. Quickenings are obtainable via the License Board. When one character activates a quickening license, it is longer available for use by any of the other characters. All quickenings are performed the same way, as a sort of slot machine. It is possible to link many quickenings together, and if done correctly these quickening chains can cause extra damage with free ending attacks, called concurrences, as well.

Espers

Espers (much like the Espers of Final Fantasy VI), are summons available for your use in the game. To achieve control of an esper, you must first face it in battle. Once defeated, you have to select one of your party members to make a "pact" or contract with the esper, and that character will be the only one capable of summoning it. In FFXII, the esper takes the place of the two party members that are NOT summoning it, and it fights alongside it's summoner. The player can not control espers, instead they are controlled by A.I. You can, however, heal and cure them with your summoner's magic abilities/items and choose to dismiss the esper if you wish. If your esper survives the entire time in battle (espers can only be in battle a certain amount of time), it will perform a powerful attack before exiting. Following is a chart for the espers found in FFXII:

Name	Title	Zodiac Sign	Element	LP	Level
Adrammelech	Furious Emperor	Capricorn	Thunder	25	1
Belias	Devil	Aries	Fire	10	1
Chaos	King of Reincarnation	Taurus	Wind	90	3
Exodus	Tree of Judgment	Libra	Magic	50	2
Famfrit	Dark Cloud	Aquarius	Water	90	3
Hashmalim	Regulator	Leo	Earth	50	2
Mateus	Corrupt Empress	Pisces	Ice	25	1
Queklain	Impure King	Scorpio	Poison	50	2
Shumihaza	Betrayer	Sagittarius	Soul	50	2
Ultima	Holy Angel	Virgo	Light	90	3
Zalera	Angel of Death	Gemini	Death	25	1
Zeromus	Convicted Tyrant	Cancer	Gravity	50	2
Zodiac	King of Commandment	Serpentarius	Dark	200	3

For more information on the espers, see this page.

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

As previously stated, Final Fantasy XII takes place in the world of Ivalice, mostly occuring in Dalmasca, one of the kingdoms of FFXII. The kingdom of Dalmasca is eventually taken over by the Archadians, after being a sideline party in the war between Archadia and Rozarria for many years. It is here that you will find your main character Vaan, a homeless teen living on the streets, secretly resisting the Archadians and their mass control. Vaan is joined up in an attack on the royal castle (now under Archadian rule) when he meets Ashe. Ashe is the former (due to the takeover) princess of Dalmasca and is the head of the resistance movement.
Throughout the course of FFXII you will run into a lot of familiar and new races and faces. All of the races from Tactics Advance appear in FFXII, along with a new pig-like race known as the Seeq. There are also a total of five different Archadian Judge Masters (leaders of the Tactics Advance Judges), who are the supreme law enforcers of Archadia.

For a list of characters, see this page.

FFXII Directory Links

	I wonder if they'd change it if I asked?
	This section should be changed to a Final Fantasy XII directory, much like the one for Final Fantasy X.