Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

[Cubfan]

Re: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Full install on my PS4 is 40.7 GB. I'm ready for Tuesday.

[bcruise]

Re: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Full install on my PS4 is 40.7 GB. I'm ready for Tuesday.

Yeah. This one's a little different from a lot of preloads I had because while I do show 2 downloads going, the progress for both is identical. In other words, they're the same thing, and the larger DL (40.564 GB on my system) includes the smaller 10 GB one. Usually, those are separated.

Sorry for the confusion, I had just started this thing before work and didn't look at it too closely. 40 GB is still a nice chunk, though. Guessing a lot of that goes to the remastered soundtrack and dual language support - audio can take up so much space.

[Flawless]

Re: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Definitely go with the English voices. FF XII has some of the best English voice acting and localization of any Japanese game ever, and dumps on other FF games. The dialects really give it a unique flavor, and they didn't just hire video game voice actors, but also a lot of classically trained British stage actors. Cutscenes were acted in front of an audience, as if they were doing a play, which was certainly not common for the time. Even being 11 years old, there's several scenes that are staged and voiced as well as the best of today. The poorly compressed audio hurt it some, but thankfully this is much better in the remastered.

Can't wait to play this again with all the new additions. All of the story threads don't quite come together, and Vaan and Penelo in the beginning aren't the best, but XII is probably my third favorite FF behind VI and Tactics.


Some reviews:


Polygon - 8.5

Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age showed me that change can be good.

In the years since Final Fantasy 12’s 2006 release, I've put around 300 hours of playtime into it over the course of multiple playthroughs. It's one of my all-time favorite games, one I know inside and out. I've found every secret, finished every side quest and at least made attempts on the ridiculously difficult optional bosses.

What's helped it remain timeless is the absolutely excellent translation and localization. The script is peppered with words like "sellsword" and "churl" and manages to avoid ostentation. There's a new option to switch the spoken dialogue to the Japanese language track, but with the English script and voice acting as excellent as they are, I couldn't see a reason to ever bother. Not many games have characters that speak only in iambic tetrameter, but Final Fantasy 12 does, and that's one of the reasons it's so special.

The Zodiac Age's job system forces each character to choose a job (one to start with, and then a second later in the game) that limits them to a unique license board, which defines what they can do and learn.

In the early sections of playing through the game with these new limitations, I didn't notice much of a difference. But as the difficulty level ramped up and monsters started throwing more and more status-effect causing attacks at me, I realized that Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age was not a game I could play on autopilot. I couldn’t let the if-then magic of my perfectly set up gambits play the game for me. I was going to have to strategize, and plan my parties, and alter my gambits on the fly. I no longer had the convenience of everyone serving as a tank, a healer, and support all at once. Boss battles that I previously knew how to sleepwalk my way through now took my full attention. And after 11 years and 300 some-odd hours, that was thrilling.

US Gamer - 4.5/5

What emerges is a game with some really strong ideas that doesn't always make good on its lofty ambitions, but nevertheless manages to hang together thanks to its incredible art, entertaining cast, and interesting battle system. If nothing else it's unique, and the mere fact that you can skip cutscenes and speed up gameplay makes it feel far more playable than Final Fantasy X, which feels agonizingly slow these days.

After missing out on Final Fantasy XII the first time, I feel like a lot of people are wondering if they should finally tackle the Final Fantasy that time forgot. As something of a former skeptic myself, I can definitely say, "Yes." It may never have the mass appeal of some of its peers, but it's time Final Fantasy XII received some of the love and attention it deserves.

Eurogamer - recommended

The Zodiac Age is an anomaly in the Final Fantasy lineage, a game made with the kind of singular directorial vision only matched by the Sakaguchi games (and, arguably, Naoki Yoshida's more recent Final Fantasy 14). Quite how close the finished game comes to Matsuno's vision is a question we will likely never know the answer to - especially now he is again working with the company, and obligated to remain tactfully silent. What is clear is that this is the definitive version of Final Fantasy 12, a game that despite its developmental difficulties, still emerged as one of the most fascinating projects to take the series' name.

Gamespot - 9

While its enhancements do not translate into a brand new game for existing fans, The Zodiac Age is nonetheless invigorating. For an experience that can last over a hundred hours, the subtle tweaks therein go a long way in showcasing Final Fantasy 12's grand trek in a new light. Its epic, lore-abundant story and its time-tested Gambit System should also appeal to those who missed out on the mainline series' trip to Ivalice the first time around. And thanks in part to the new audio and speed options, The Zodiac Age is an ideal definitive edition: one that improves the game over its original version across the board.

RPG Site - 9

Western players are in for a treat with all of these adjustments and improvements made from the original release of Final Fantasy XII - many of which are old but never made their way West originally. The job system adds another level of interest to party coordination, elements like fast-forward and map overlays add a considerable amount of convenience, and the game looks and sounds great too. This remaster may not change the mind of everyone, but it is no doubt one of the most intriguing entries in the franchise and clearly the definitive version of a truly brilliant game.

IGN - 8.8

Final Fantasy XII’s relatable roleplaying adventure has aged remarkably well, and The Zodiac Age remaster improves it further in meaningful ways. The storytelling, visual design, and gameplay feel just as fresh and interesting as they did over a decade ago, and the various new enhancements and adjustments will give new players a chance to experience the magic for the first time and fans of the original something enticing to return for.

Game Informer - 9

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a remaster done right. The core content remains the same, but the changes in various systems add a new layer of discovery. This means old fans can still relive the journey, while new players (or those who had issues with old mechanics) don’t feel trapped in an outdated adventure. Not every facet of the game has aged well, but the clever combat and fantastic cast earns this entry its status as classic RPG, and The Zodiac Age is the best way to play it.

[Flawless]

Re: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

2x-4x speed at a click of a button really is going to be amazing.

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Easy Allies: Don't Skip - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

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[bcruise]

Re: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

From a gameplay standpoint it feels different already, even in the earliest parts of the game. Not being able to have 3 all-purpose machines to make up your party will change your strategies considerably. The classes I chose so far limited my magic capabilities, and I felt it when I couldn't hit the elemental weakness of the first main boss.

There's something else that's going to come into play pretty heavily in this version, and it's something I'm quite familiar with now that I've taken the plunge into MMO's (and especially as an FFXIV white mage main) - aggro. If you've got a character set up to cast cure you'd better make sure you have some way of intercepting enemies who will switch their targeting to the healer. In old FFXII this wasn't really a big deal because every character could be built the same way - in other words a healer could have as much HP as the "tank". Not here - once the classes start separating themselves (they all have pretty similar equipment in the beginning), trying to allow the healer to take too much damage is going to end very, very badly. Pay attention to those target lines!

Maybe I'm imagining it (it's been a LONG time since I played this game), but I'm noticing enemies seeming to group up more than I remembered. Try to fight one imperial in the Nalbina dungeon and you'll end up with 3 or 4 on you in no time.

Fast-Forward is a godsend for being able to speed through town sequences. I don't think I'd use it in dungeons unless I had a death wish.

It's still very much originally a PS2 game graphically - the textures are truly hi-def and look fantastic but the characters still have that kind of blocky look to them. And I was a little surprised it's only 30 FPS - might be a Tales of Zestiria-like thing where the engine simply wasn't made to run at 60.

The new soundtrack is really good, feels a lot more dramatic in most songs. And the voice acting sounds better too - I kind of felt like the original's VA's were talking in a phone booth at times.

Having a lot of fun so far.