Final Fantasy Tactics

Final Fantasy Tactics

I remember when I first got this game. I knew nothing about it, except that it was a strategy-RPG from Square. The only reason I got it is because a friend of mine said it was good. So I got it, took it home, popped it the playstation, and became instantly hooked. Never have I seen such an innovative RPG! With all the variations of jobs, abilities, and attack parties...you could be play this game over and over and still not get bored. On top of that, there are four secret characters and an optional side-quest to get rare items and valuable experience. If I had to find something bad about the game, it would probally be that Ramza is such a lamer, other than that the game is nearly flawless.

One of Final Fantasy Tactics' many highlights is the music. Blending classical music with the RPG music of most games, it produces a nice soundtrack that sets the mood for adventure and fun. And the music that plays when you fight one of the zodiac bosses really enhances the atmosphere of a tough battle.

Along with great music, FFT brings you great visuals! Great artwork, great graphics, and extremely realistic movements! During the cut-scenes, I almost felt as if I were watching a movie. I try not to let eye candy effect my judgement in a game, but this was just too much! I can honestly say that if the graphics weren't as good I wouldn't have enjoyed the game as much, and that's a first for me.

Does this game ever stop getting good? Nope. As we look at the story, which produces more intrigue than any game I've ever played (except Xenogears), I wonder if these guys are taking some sort writing-steroids or something....I dunno....stop looking at me like that! I'm not crazy! What? No, I don't live in a room with padded walls! Ahem, anyway, the story is also pretty confusing and makes you have to play the game through again to fully understand it. You take on the role of Ramza, member of the noble Beoulve family, along with his younger sister, Alma, and his older brothers Dycedarg and Zalbag. Your father and Zalbag were heroes of the 50 year war, as was Cidolfus Orlandu. I really couldn't go into much more of the story because I fear I would give false information, I still don't even understand the story completely. But I promise you, if you enjoyed such games as Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 6 (3 in the U.S.), and Xenogears, then you'll like this story.

Damn, man! I look at the characters of this game, and still see nothing wrong! The character development of this game was awesome as hell. Though Ramza was a little bit on the shallow side, everyone else was good. Most of the enemies you fight leave you with a mutual respect for them, and mainly because you don't know if they will become friend or foe. The game is just filled with betrayal and unexpected surprises. Another good thing about the character development is, you get to develop the characters!...Well, sort of. You can decide what job they have and what ablities they use. There are around 30 job classes to choose from. Job classes decide what abilities your characters can learn. For instance, black wizards learn stuff like bolt, ice, and fire, while white mages learn the different healing spells. This makes for great combinations. So you can have a knight doing massive damage, while at the same time summoning monsters. All the main characters who join you have a special job class of their own, but you can mix in different ablities for them such as Item or the two-swords support ability. The possibilities are endless.

So what are you waiting for? Why are you still sitting here reading this? Go out and get this game! I can't think of one damned bad thing about, so why should you?

Innovation 10
Story 10
Characters 9
Graphics 10
Music 8
Difficulty 8.5
Gameplay 10
Replay Value 9.5
Reviewer's Tilt 9
Total Score 9.3


Black's Reviews
Final Fantasy Tactics Reviews


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