Final Fantasy XII

It’s been awhile since the world’s had a normal Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy X-2 dumped the conventional RPG system and turned it into a game of dress-up. Final Fantasy XI dropped the normal RPG all together, offering instead a Massively Multplayer Online experience. Both games have their fans, FFXI has a strong online community and there were people who appreciated FFX-2 , but a lot of Final fantasy players want to see their gameplay to so well remembered in FFX returned. Square-Enix believes they have a better idea, a new, more active battle system with the same story epics you’ve grown to expect to from them. This is the basis around the new Final Fantasy XII for PS2.

Do not be afraid FF fans. FFXII’s system is new, but not so different that you can’t recognize your beloved series. All the original commands return; such as Magic, Attack, Items, etc. In combat you control Vaan, FFXII’s main hero, as you choose a target to bring your smackdown upon. A small trail of light connects your character and your target, and Vaan will then position himself accordingly. The main difference in the gameplay lies in the animations. You and your enemy move around and adjust to each others positions, rather then attacking from afar or simply running up to attack each other and then resuming positions. The user can also pick from Passive and Active modes, which offer fighting with and without pauses while giving commands respectivly. Don’t expect Dynasty Warriors-esque battles with people constantly moving and flying. The action in FFXII gives a nice median between it’s older brothers and the traditional action game. This is meant to give FFXII a more realistic feel, and the fans a nice breath of fresh air.

Naturally, controlling a whole party this way would be cumbersome, so Square-Enix has added the new Gambit system. Each party member has a certain number of Gambits they can hold which increases with new levels. A Gambit is a specific action, or routine, assigned by the user which an A.I. controlled character can make. Each Gambit requires a target and an action and are listed by priority. For instance, let’s say one of my party members has four Gambits. The first one has attacking as the action, and the nearest enemy as the target. The second one may have “Cast cure on target if he/she/it drops below 40% HP” as the action and Vaan as the target and so on. This way, as soon as the character enters battle they will first attack the nearest enemy, then heal Vaan if neccesary. You can also use this system on Vaan himself, so all you have to do is sit and watch some battles if you please. If you have Vaan’s assignments up you can switch characters and mid-battle. This can help save some battle you were just letting the A.I. fight, or give you even more control over your party members. The Gambit system makes sure that the user has influence over what the A.I. is doing. Think it’s too complicated? You can always just leave the “attack closest enemy” action on your party member’s list so they just hack and slash until you decide to interject, though this would be a lot harder to pull off.

Leveling up has minor changes. You get experience with each battle, but now you also get license points, or LP. Experience still upgrades your HP, MP, defense, etc. But in order to use different weapons, armor, spells, or skills you need an license. You may need 25 LP to get a license that upgrades your healing spell or allows you to use a bow and arrow. Then, you will need to buy that spell or weapon at a store in town. And while we’re talking about buying, wild creatures don’t drop Gil, The FF world currency, anymore. Instead you’ll have to sell the stuff the drop for money, like rare items. Some stuff will never change, like chocobos or irrestibly cute talking things. The plot for FFXII is also gearing up to be solid as usual.

Square-Enix is attempting something new with Final Fantasy XII. With a mix between 70% turn-based RPG and 30% Zelda in the battles, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s a stew of love that the fans appreciate. Keep in touch, we’ll be hitching a ride on a chocobo later this year.

Soul Calibur III

The number one weapons based fighting game series in the world, Soul Calibur, is returning to the frey on the PS2. The series began with Soul Blade/Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast. Then, the extremely popular Soul Calibur II was released simultanously on the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube. Each featurng it’s own special character (Tekken’s Heihachi for PS2, Comic anti-hero Spawn for Xbox, and Legend of Zelda’s Link for Gamecube). The game is now regarded by many to be the best fighter ever and fans can’t wait for a sequel. Yet unfortunatly for some, Namco has announced that Soul Caliber III is a Playstation 2 exclusive.

As fans of the original know, there is an evil sword known as the Soul Edge which steals human souls. An opposing sword also exist, Soul Calibur, which is a holy. Warriors across the planet seek the power of these swords, exploring and dueling for them which eventually leads to the final battle: Soul Calibur vs. Soul Edge. Three new characters are playable; Zsalamel: the first black character in the Soul Calibur series, has a mysterious past and seeks the evil sword with the power of his scythe, Tira: a graceful fighter from a circus that wields a deadly ring blade, and Setsuka: A wanderer who seeks revenge and hides a sword under her umbrella.

Soul Calibur III features ten modes. Character Creation is the most notable. In Character Creation mode you can create your own fighter with a huge attention to detail. Choose from a large array of weapons never be seen in the SC series along with a profession such as Ninja, Thief, or Monk. You can save your character onto the memory card and use him/her to fight other characters. The look of you fighter helps develop his or her personality. Wear bright, colorful clothing and your character will be happy or perhaps wierd and vice versa. With detailed customization like “Upper Torso”,”Mid Torso”, and “Lower Torso” You’ll be hard pressed to find two characters that look alike. Other modes include Lost Chronicle Mode which is a combination of strategy and fighting games, Soul Arena Mode which puts the player in fights with special situations, World Competition Mode which is a difficult contest, VS Special, like a multiplayer Soul Arena, VS Competition which are multiplayer competitions and leagues (online perhaps?), Museum Mode which chronicles the past of Soul Calibur, and the regular Story, VS, and Practice Modes.

Soul Calibur III takes all of the gameplay that made Soul Calibur II great, is adding a bunch of new modes and characters, and a new Resident Evil 4 like Story Mode where the player will have to interact with cutscenes (Like pressing a button at an exact time to dodge a knife.) PS2 fans have something to get excited about. Soul Calibur III is slated for release later this year.