Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

[lithiumkatana17]

They've said they would be open to another XII installment, provided fan feedback on The Zodiac Age is good.

So, uh... how much I have to pay ya'll to leave good reviews??

Just kidding.

But if a possibly sequel were to be anything like the story they had planned for Fortress, I'd have to pass on that.

I would rather prefer SquareEnix making new installments in the franchise.

That's well and dandy, but I've gotten the drift from the last few posts you've made that you aren't really a fan of Final Fantasy XII, so it's understandable that you don't want any more installments set in Ivalice.

Those of us who are fans of the game would likely not mind a sequel or Ivalice-centric title, if done right of course. Fortress unfortunately, was not on the right path, so I am personally glad that that game never got into serious development.

Will the wish of a possible (real) sequel come to fruition? It's doubtful, but then again, they also said that about remaking FFVII, once upon a time. There's nothing wrong with speculating or talking about it.

 

[ForceStealer]

Unsurprisingly, if there was to be more Ivalice games, I would be significantly more excited about something more related to Tactics (actual FFT, not Advance), but I guess I would want Yasumi Matsuno involved in such a thing.

 

[Flare]

I actually have only played Tactics Advance, so I don't know the stories of the other Tactics games, but Advance was pretty fun because duh it was set in Ivalice I think I'd love to see something more like XII though, as far as timeline goes and graphics.
Then again I'd probably just be happy for anything set in Ivalice with all the countries and races and whatnot. <3

 

[lithiumkatana17]

Unsurprisingly, if there was to be more Ivalice games, I would be significantly more excited about something more related to Tactics (actual FFT, not Advance), but I guess I would want Yasumi Matsuno involved in such a thing.

Definitely. As much as I would love to see some of XII's beloved characters again, I'd definitely want the world of Ivalice to be expanded. Maybe have it take place in a different part of the timeline.

 

[Lulcielid]

That's well and dandy, but I've gotten the drift from the last few posts you've made that you aren't really a fan of Final Fantasy XII, so it's understandable that you don't want any more installments set in Ivalice.

Sorry if I gave the wrong impression but, I like and I am a fan of XII as much as a fan of VI, VII, VIII, IX & X. However, being a fan of something (videogame in this case) doesn't mean being oblivious to its weakness and shortcomings and they should be spoken and critisized as much as its achivements and strenghts are.

 

[Tennyo]

To be honest, I don't necessarily want XII-2, I just want the battle system.

 

[Flare]

To be honest, I don't necessarily want XII-2, I just want the battle system.

I just want Ivalice and the battle system.

 

[lithiumkatana17]

That's well and dandy, but I've gotten the drift from the last few posts you've made that you aren't really a fan of Final Fantasy XII, so it's understandable that you don't want any more installments set in Ivalice.

Sorry if I gave the wrong impression but, I like and I am a fan of XII as much as a fan of VI, VII, VIII, IX & X. However, being a fan of something (videogame in this case) doesn't mean being oblivious to its weakness and shortcomings and they should be spoken and critisized as much as its achivements and strenghts are.

I fully admit that I am biased towards the game, but I'm not so biased that I can't see its shortfalls or weaknesses. I love it just as much as I love VII, despite the problems with pacing or lack of character development. There's more than one way to tell a story, and I like XII's just fine. Even if I do go like 3 locations without a cutscene.

To be honest, I don't necessarily want XII-2, I just want the battle system.

I'm gonna pull a Yop and say:

USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST

Just kidding Tenny.

 

[Ite]

I actually have only played Tactics Advance, so I don't know the stories of the other Tactics games, but Advance was pretty fun because duh it was set in Ivalice I think I'd love to see something more like XII though, as far as timeline goes and graphics.
Then again I'd probably just be happy for anything set in Ivalice with all the countries and races and whatnot. <3

FFT is amazing, but the only race is humans... It's set in like, the future I guess? Or maybe the distant past? Well it's Ivalice so if you dig long enough you'll get to ruins from another game. Ivalice Alliance indeed! Anyway, FFT is a whole different scene than the FFTA/XII setting, but it's one of FF's best stories.

As much as I would love to see some of XII's beloved characters again, I'd definitely want the world of Ivalice to be expanded. Maybe have it take place in a different part of the timeline.

The coming of Saint Ajora!!!

 

[Fangu]

Sooo anybody got a link to the gameplay demo last night?

 

[Lulcielid]

FFT is amazing, but the only race is humans... It's set in like, the future I guess? Or maybe the distant past?

According to FFXII Ultimania Omega (a guidebook), XII is set in the earliest part of the Ivalice timeline.

Sooo anybody got a link to the gameplay demo last night?

Here it is:

 

[Fangu]

Woo overlaying map!

 

[ForceStealer]

She says, as though she doesn't already know all the maps by heart.

The coming of Saint Ajora!!!

Now THAT's something I thought XII could have desperately used. Even if it was just a side plot/quest. As I understand it, Glabados or Ajora gets precisely one name-drop in the game, and it's deep in the bestiary or something. I was also hoping for something establishing (or hinting at) the link between XII's Espers and the Lucavi. They are kept in Zodiac Stones...though much bigger ones, and there's not really any indication that I recall of their...less-than-pure intentions.

And, yes, Tactics is several centuries after XII. There was a Calamity in the past, and presumably that took all the other races with it? Or they're just somewhere else, but there's also no airships (though the final dungeon is an airship graveyard, further evidence of XII's setting in the past).

 

[Ite]

Overlaying map in XII? Wait mode in XV? Amazing! Square is slowly implementing features that haven't been in FFs since VIII and IX!!

I'd heard that XII was FFT's past, which is sad poor pig and croc people... I like that XII *also* has ruins upon ruins under the land. That said, I wonder at some of the things, like Cardinal Draclau in FFT and Draclau Labs in XII, or the traditional summons in T and the names of the Archadian ships... I suppose they're just Easter eggs, but I'm an overanalyzing nerd!

 

[Flare]

^See that's why I don't know if I want to play Tactics, because it's in the future of Ivalice and there's only Humes. Like I feel like Ivalice is too different. I don't really like the vague story plot of having some strange calamity kill every other race. Seems kind of weird.
I can definitely imagine some races disappearing/lessening over time because of their lifestyles (the Viera and Garif spring to mind, the majority of the Viera would probably fade into history as they hide away from everyone else, and the Garif are nomadic and only seem to interact with a few groups of Humes; and possibly the Nu Mou and those catlike people that you only glimpse a few times?) but races that are more abundant and integrated into the big society like Moogles and Bangaa and even Seeq, I find it hard to see them disappearing anytime soon. I get that Tactics is way in the future, but the reason for only Humes existing at that point is a bit unsatisfactory for me.

*rambles on I could literally talk about Ivalice for hours. I need to stop now.

 

[ForceStealer]

FF Tactics does not take place over as wide an area as XII. It's a rather local affair, so if it helps you can very easily figure that only humes live in this particular area.

Now, they refer to the issue at hand being the king of Ivalice, but it's far enough into the future that who knows what exactly that involves. Maybe only humes are allowed in the area surrounding the seat of power after a post-calamity period of racism sets in. Or maybe "Ivalice" merely refers to a fairly small country at this point in time.

OR you can just treat it as it is - a game that was never made with the intent to lend its world to a future main series title - and just play it as it is (wwwith cameos from Balthier and Luso. And also Cloud and Aerith). Which you should, as it is, in my opinion, the second best game to bear the name.

 

[Lulcielid]

Overlaying map in XII? Wait mode in XV? Amazing! Square is slowly implementing features that haven't been in FFs since VIII and IX!!

Wait Mode is present in XII

 

[Lex]

 

[Fangu]

^ Okay that guy is really into letting people know what his loves and likes and opinions are

 

[Tennyo]

To be honest, I don't necessarily want XII-2, I just want the battle system.

I just want Ivalice and the battle system.

Yes, this is what I meant.

I'm gonna pull a Yop and say:

USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST

Just kidding Tenny.

Come at me bruh

<3

 

[Russell]

Spoiler: Storyline spoilers

So... was Vayne right?

The more I think about the story the more I think "hang on a minute".
The 'Occuria' were controlling humanity from the shadows and Vayne & Cid wanted to end that; "put the reins of history back in the hands of man" right?

The Archadian Empire invades & conquers two countries so Vayne & Cid are very much bad guys. Their method was awful but the motive of trying to have humanity decide it's future by itself?
The six main characters were fighting to keep the status quo; to keep the Occuria in charge (as well as liberate Dalmasca).

Can someone with better memory of the game (and perhaps less rambling) explain this please?

 

[Tennyo]

At first yes, they were fighting for that, but in the end

Spoiler

Ashe basically does what Cid wants but he and Vayne are still loonies who need to go down.

Liberating humanity from the Occuria doesn't liberate Dalmasca from Archadia.

So in the end they save the day and yet the villains also got what they wanted as well.

 

[lithiumkatana17]

I'm gonna pull a Yop and say:

USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST

Just kidding Tenny.

Come at me bruh

<3

Oh I'll come at you alright, in more ways than one!

I loved the video you posted Lex. It's lovely to watch people nerd out over the demo.

EDIT:

Spoiler

While they may not be truly liberated from the Occuria, they shunned their nethicite, which is what they gave to people they wished to empower, and destroyed the Sun Cryst.

 

[Ghost X]

Villains can be right about stuff, but still be dicks. That's another reason to like FFXII. Complex villains :p.

 

[lithiumkatana17]

Villains can be right about stuff, but still be dicks. That's another reason to like FFXII. Complex villains :p.

Oh I agree wholeheartedly. I said it earlier in the thread that Vayne had the right idea about things, but he just had a backassward way of going about it. I actually enjoy his character quite a bit.