Clan Centurio knows how to treat its hard working members
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
I'm really amazed that Final Fantasy XII can be this engaging even 47 hours into it. Yes, forty-seven. Guess what I did this weekend? I've unlocked every spot on the license board that I care to, I have oodles of magick spells and great weapons for everybody. I'm also totally broke (in-game), so I'm taking on hunts and other side quests to get cash and obtain the hidden espers. Why am I choosing now to goof off and ignore the main storyline? Why, because the final guy is about to kill everyone, that's why.
Officially FFXII still has only two flaws. The lack of camera inversion is one and the missing "sell all loot" button is another. This is more of a throwback, an homage, than anything. I've beaten everybody in the Empire I care to with the exception of the emperor himself. He's summoned Bahamut (or "bah-hah-moot" as the phonetically challenged characters pronounce it) and is about to lay waste to the city of Rabanastre from his giant airship.
With all the Final Fantasy IV and VI references in this game it was about time they got to number VII. Yes, the meteor is hovering over the planet (#186) and is about to kill everyone. What better time to race chocobos or level up obsessively and defeat Emerald Weapon? I really expected to see Cloud in the background of one of the cinematics leading up to this situation, snickering at the amateurs of angst. Here's a fun drinking game: take a shot every time somebody accuses Ashe of desiring power and she gasps guiltily.
But I can deal with that. The game's Gambit programming system is a disgusting amount of fun once you unlock all twelve slots. In everything except boss fights I can kick back and let my guys and gals slaughter the enemy. They'll heal their own status ailments, revive fallen members, and counteract Slow with Haste. Dungeon Siege has nothing on this.
Perhaps another reason I tore into this game so heartily this weekend was because it's gonna be busy from here on out in March. I snuck into Best Buy early on Sunday and was rewarded with a copy of Wii Play. Burnout Dominator comes out tomorrow for the PS2. Then God of War II comes out next week. And S.T.A.L.K.E.R. the week after that. Oh, and Worms is coming to Xbox Live this Wednesday. I'll need the support of my trusty gaming compatriots to help me get through this turbulent time.
... Hello?
8 comments
Sephiroth
July 03, 9:29 AM
I’d like to see Wii Play. All the other titles you mentioned pretty much suck. Let me know when the next Grand Theft Auto comes out. Bryan got a copy of crackdown, so if you want to play co-op, let me know. I also noticed that this form, does not remember if I uncheck the “Remember my name and e-mail” box before I preview the comment. And you call yourself a web developer. Tsk, tsk.
Jordan
July 03, 10:36 AM
All this from the man who has yet to play any of them. What you mean is that they sound like they might suck. I expect STALKER to be okay. God of War II will be awesome, or there will be hell to pay. And Burnout Dominator is here, so I’ll give you my impressions shortly.
One thing I am not is a PHP developer. This site was cobbled together out of a generic Textpattern install. I make no warranties either expressed or implied about how much it sucks (which is a lot, it seems).
Oh, and it looks like Playstation Home will be exactly what you’ve been looking for, Sephiroth.
Sephiroth
July 03, 5:41 PM
Dude, I am getting a PS3. First thing I am going to do is install linux on it.
sunshine
July 03, 8:05 PM
soo… burnout? Wii play? I’ve got nothing
MagnoliaFly
August 03, 11:49 AM
Wii play only had a few things that I liked on it. I’ll be glad when more multiplayer games are released for the Wii (hellooo? why was Mario Party pushed back Nintendo?)
Jordan
August 03, 1:15 PM
Nintendo’s games are always pushed back. That’s how you know you’re still dealing with Nintendo and not EA. Twilight Princess becomes a Wii launch title rather than an excellent swan song for the GameCube (though given the Wii’s flawless backwards compatibility this wouldn’t really have happened anyway).
It’s the same for Metroid Prime 3, coming out sometime this fall instead of the launch title it was supposed to be. You could also say that about PS3 titles, but that system actually is an investment, rather than just a game console. Wii Sports is plenty fun, and the Monday Virtual Console releases do console me as I wait for Samus to return.
Mom
September 03, 11:55 AM
Good writing. Bad use of available funds. Is EA a publicly held company? How about the companies of any of the other gizmos you folks like so much. Time to stop “feeding” them your dollars and start buying their stock and getting some of their dividends. Yeah, yeah I know. Same old Mom, same old song.
MagnoliaFly
December 03, 10:51 AM
I’m sticking to mutual funds 
About
Jordan Roher is a 26 year-old web developer in Tallahassee, Florida. His love of technology, video games and anime has resulted in this website. Expect game critiques, anime reviews and the annual journey to the Penny Arcade Expo.