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Possibly the best title to bear the name Final Fantasy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: November 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Tactics was released early on in the PlayStation's lifespan. While some dismissed it as too hard or too quirky, a lot of gamers found it challenging and a fresh change from more conventional RPGs.

It borrowed a lot, including its basic battle system, from Tactics Ogre (many of the staff also worked on that game). Its story, however, is radically different from TO, though equally interesting. FFT's tale of political upheaval and ancient magic suffers from a poor translation, but the craftsmanship of the plot manages to shine through.

FFT's graphics and music are surprisingly good for its age. Beautiful hand-drawn sprites are layered over 3-D battle maps, and the synthesized music only occasionally sounds like it.

The gameplay is incredibly deep, with dozens of different Job Classes and hundreds of abilities to learn. You can combine abilities to create new classes - a Knight who can use Black Magic, for example, or an Archer who can Steal. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

Now that Final Fantasy Tactics is available again as part of the Greatest Hits lineup, it's a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in the most polished strategy/RPG around.

When will they make a part 2...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: February 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

...besides the kiddish Final Fantasy Tactics: Advanced?

This is a very challenging and different game which actually involves strategy and tactics (thus the title of the game). Don't go in expecting a regular Final Fantasy game where all you have to do in battles is push the X button a couple of times and it's over. The battles in this game are similar to that of chess: You have to move around on a 'board' in a turn-based battle system, you have different characters (with customizable abilites), and you have to defeat the opposing characters by thinking a few moves ahead and developing a tactic to win. This kind of gameplay requires a lot of thinking and its fun! You also have to watch out as to not hurt your own characters, like with arrows or spells. You can also accidentally aid your opponents, so you really have to plan out all your moves!

The customizable nature of this game is also very exciting, with many different character 'jobs' you can choose from, all with a set of different abilities you have to gain experience for and learn.

The storyline is also very entertaining and satisfying. You are always joining up with people and other characters betray you! The cut-scenes develop the characters very well and the plot was thought out very well, too. I always want to keep playing to find out what happens next!

The downside of this game (not so big for me, though) is that you don't really travel and talk to people like in the other FF games. When you go to a town, there is a menu of places you can go. So all you have to do is select a place and you're there! But the upside to that would be you don't waste time searching for buildings and other things, so it really depends on the player.

As an endnote, I just really hope that Square makes another game like this for PS2, and not a simplified, 'kiddish' version for the gameboy. Final Fantasy Tactics is an amazing game and they need to make an amazing part 2!

This game to be Rereleased by Sony

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I cant wait for this game to be rereleased this July by Sony. They are including it in their Playstation Classics lineup, so no more spending that heavy doe on ebay for it. I cant wait for this classic to come out. I'll be the first to get one.

Oops. Forgot to eat today. Was playing this game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When I first bought this game, as a gift for my brother, I started playing it a little, only to just screw around and try it out, and I got hooked.

In a span of 11 days, I played it obsessively, investing well over 50-something hours into it, until I finally beat it. I got rehooked on it a couple years later.

Addicting? Oh, yeah.

And I'm not even a Final Fantasy fan. One of the gigantic problems I have with the Final Fantasy games is the battle system -- you just stand there in front of the enemy, select attack, and it just happens, and nobody moves or does anything.

Not so in Tactics. This game is a departure from its FF brethren, particularly in the battle system. In FF Tactics, there is a battle grid map, on which you and your party and enemies move around, and you actually have to get to your enemies to attack them, and focus your spells and missile weapons correctly, and it's so much fun. You are actively involved in the battles, having to use "tactics" (Gee, I wonder how they came up with the title?). You can also find stuff (i.e., useful items) randomly on certain spots of the map.

The focus of this game is on the combat and everything combat related. FF fans may be disappointed that this game lacks freedom to explore and talk to random people. Also, the cut scenes look exactly like when you're on the battle map, so there's not much in the way of wildly intense graphics like in the later FFs. However, I guarantee that FF fans (and non-FF fans) will love this game just the same, because it is so intense and awesome.

And the storyline, as the FF storylines tend to be, is of course unbelievably amazing. It's worthy of an epic feature film.

I cannot stress how wonderful this game is enough. The biggest downside is you might forget to eat, shower, go to work, sleep, etc..

Oh, well.

Very good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is most definitely a much, much different game than the other entries in the Final Fantasy series. You control the young hero, Ramza Beoulve, and a party of adventurers as they become involved in what starts out as a relatively simple case of kidnapping and politics that eventually turns into a crisis that involves a trip into the underworld to save the world from the forces of darkness. Your party starts out as Ramza and a bunch of generic characters, but as you progress through the game you will meet up with a number of friends that will join your party, all of which have their own unique abilities, ranging from forgettable, to helpful, to awesomely-overpowering.

There are a lot of good things about this game. There are a total of 20 "jobs" in the game, ranging from the usual things like Wizards, Healer-types, and sword-wielding Knights to exotic classes such as the Ninja, the Calculator, and those ever-popular Summoners. Each character starts out as one of two "generic" classes, and as they level up and learn new abilities, more and more of the other classes are unlocked and become available. Most of the battles you participate in allow you to take a party of five characters into action, although there are a few exceptions. So, the possible combinations of battle parties one can create is almost endless. The customization part of this game is probably its strongest point, because it allows for hours of fun experimentation as you learn the different jobs' strengths and weaknesses. The battles themselves are somewhat like a giant chess match, where you and the computer manuever your men around a 3-D battlefield, trying to take and hold the most advantageous positions to use to your advantage. One of the best things about all this is that you have to be careful how you use magic. The high-level magic spells in this game can be quite powerful, but the player must learn how to use it properly, or else you will kill off your own group members in addition to the enemies. There are many different types of battlefields, ranging from open prairies, to castles and dungeons, to swampland, and everything in between. The story battles are filled with drama and danger, and the random battles you get into as you move from town to town will keep your skills maxed out, since the monsters in random battles level up along with you, so you will always be challenged, even when revisiting areas near the beginning of the game. The in-game music and graphics are excellent, given that this game is several years old. The shops in the game are where you will go to purchase the vast majority of your weapons, armor, and items, and there is a very well-done "fitting room" system to ensure that you know ahead of time what you are buying and what it will do for you before you spend money on it. Once you have been through a few battles, money worries will rapidly fade. It's also easy to keep plenty of items in stock so you never run out during battle. There are also a number of sidequests, as we have come to expect from all Final Fantasy games, and they are rewarding, fun, and generally worthwhile.

There are a few flaws, though. The plot of the game is rather... convoluted. It's tough, very tough, to keep track of the dozens of cast members and who is on what side, who is betraying who, and so on. There is a feature in the game allowing you to replay key scenes in the story, and also read biographies of all characters, and I found myself going back here often. If you can keep up with everything, the plot is compelling, but it is tough. The ending of the game is very sad and haunting, and won't soon be forgotten. Another flaw is the rather poor Japanese-to-English translations that this game contains. It doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the game, but it is very jarring.

Despite these flaws, I really think that this game takes many of the well-known traditions of the Final Fantasy series to the next level. Anyone who has played and enjoyed the other games in the series will enjoy this one. I know I did.

A good change for the Final Fantasy series.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: May 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Square's entry level Final Fantasy Tatics is a great game. Those who are deeply immersed into strategy gaming may find this game to be either elementry as far as strategy is concerned. Or complex due to the extreme customizing of the small platoon used in the game. For those who are familiar with Final Fantasy games but may have never played a strategy based game, this is basically the best of both worlds. Giving gamers a taste a strategy FF style.

The graphics for this game are cartoon based, very colorful and full of life. Some of the terrain where battles take place can be mundane, almost eye sore. I say this mainly due to the fact that your crew of fighters level up FF style, so random battles in grasslands and deserts constantly, can make for very boring backgounds. Not all is bad though. As you progress the story, areas inside castles and around civilized structures are a pleasent and much needed change of pace. The level of detail is limited due to the angle and distance the game platform is structured on but does not take away from the experience.

The heart of this game lies with the gameplay. Turned based strategy sounds boring, FF tatics really adds a depth of its own to make this game pretty interesting. Those familiar with the Final Fantasy world will know the job classes almost immediatly. All charchters start off as low level squires or chemist. Gaining experience and skills in those jobs open a new class of jobs, knight and mages respectivly. Gaining more experience opens more jobs and classes with different skills.
19 classes in all and 400 skills/abilities, a lot of time is spent trying level up to access everything. Very customizable but tedious at times. Nothing new for Square in that department. The trick to customizing in this game is balancing your team. A good mix of warriors and mages will allow you to beat most opponents without much problem.

Music, another brilliant masterpiece by Square. Totally fits the game ambiance, from the lighthearted map tune to the more serious tones of the boss battles. Not as good as Vagrant Story's, though both games are done by the same composer, Tatics doesn't seem to have the same amount of time or heart put into it like Vagant Story does.

There are two flaws I found in the game, both can be considered medium to high. The first was that I found a way to level up my units quickly early in the game. Before I finshed chapter one all of my units were at level 30. I won't say how I did it because it does take away from the gaming experience as a whole. Making the game somewhat easy. Due to this being a strategy based game you can still lose battles with high level charchters, but minor strategy will get you through a fight with ease. Astute players will see this little cheat at the beginning. Sadly this is not (code) cheat. Its progammed into the game. Secondly, (this being the worst) after all your hard work, chapter four rewards you with allies who have special sword skills so that your elite team of ninjas, summoners, and knight based warriors are obsolite. You work hard to get there skills up, new and better jobs, just to send them home near the end of the game. You won't turn down services of charchters who can take down 3 to 4 enemies at once would you? Room in your army is only 16 units. What you do keep won't be used becuase they can't keep up with everyone else. That bothered me for a while but after fighting the final bosses your original team would get crushed anyhow.

Overall a good game for beginners of strategy based games and those who are familiar with Final Fantasy. The story is your usual FF banter without the role playing element. I highly recommend this game to the previously metioned groups of gamers. Those looking for more serious strategy fix may wanna skip this one. One of the top 20 PSX games of all time. Also, I recommend buying the strategy guide, there is an in-game tutorial but the book explains everything much better.

THE BEST!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Tactics was the best game for the PSX I have ever played {besides Castlevania Symphony of the Night.} The story was amazing the battle system was choice and the job class system was cool. But my faverit part of this game was that you can get Cloud from FF7. This game is worth every penny buy it and play it and i'm sure you would love it to.

A gem in the rough

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I got this game at a walmart when it first came out. I bought it because it was final fantasy, and i loved the FF2 game with cecil the dark knight.

I started playing this game and couldn't stop. Even the level building treadmill was not so bad, because its rewarding. When you pick and mix all the talents of the different classes and make a "Super Class" sorta unit, nothing will slow you down, except maybe Velius. :-)
put it like this, i wore out my copy and when it didn't work i bought a new copy of it. Its a great tactical turn based game with an interesting story.

Pro's lots of classes and abilities that carry over to other class ability slots, cool story, usefull items, nice spell effects, recruiting and breeding monsters, jobs/sidequests and birthday system. This game is Fun.

cons: sometimes building levels is a drag when replaying, can't make backups of the cd easily, no PC version or multiplayer, some classes are less usefull and are put aside when you get the job ability you want.

overall: i wish there were more games like this. I don't like tactics ogre, and i know of other games using this design type. This game is a fun and rewarding timesink.

Simply Brilliant!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I first got this game, I thought it was just a Final Fantasy game where you can just have custom characters. I was wrong. This game is much more. I've played several other Final Fantasy games and this is better than those I've played.

First off, the storyline is amazing. The main character is a young man named Ramza (you can change his name) who wants to follow his father's path and become a knight of great respect. However, he goes through a time of deceit, treachery, murder, and turmoil. Everything is just plain wrong in his eyes and in the end, he has no idea on which side to take up, so he fights on his own side, which in your eyes might be the good side (it was in mine). There are so many twists to this game you'll keep coming back for more.

The graphics in this game is amazing. The look of all the different attacks are amazing, especially the magical and special character skills. The characters are, as some may put it, Super-Deformed (SD), but they look amazing. The levels are in 3D and look really nice. And each weapon has a unique look, which is pretty sweet.

The gameplay is just plain amazing. It's a simple way of playing: move, perform an action, and choose the direction you face. It's also complex enough to require a well thought strategy, thus where the word "Tactics" comes into play. Random battles are actually random; they don't have a specific pattern, compared to other Final Fantasy games. Also, there's a deep class system called the "Job System". This is a legendary component of one of the Final Fantasy games, FFV. You can customize each member of your party to your style of play, and at the beginning of each battle, you are allowed to place up to 5 members in a specific place. You also have guest members which stay in your party until you get to a certain part of the game. Most of these guests can become permenant members of your party, which is actually good since there's one character that you can get that's really worth getting. There's also side-quests that allow you to get hidden characters, including Cloud Strife from FFVII.

The game is difficult at points, but is mostly pretty average. The most difficult part of the game is probably the battle against Wiegraf for the final time.

Sound, really good, don't need to go into this.

If you like chess and Final Fantasy, pick this game up ASAP. It's definitely worth it.

Not meant to be a flashy game, just an incredible one

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: September 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a Final Fantasy title, but that is misleading. Stylistically this is a [...] of the series. Despite that, the quality of this game is very well in step with the series, and in terms of depth, difficulty and plot this may well be the best entry.

Tactical RPGs are a tricky proposition, as some people hate them utterly. However if you are willing to engage this game on its own terms you will find yourself challenged in a way that few games ever made could. The battle system is intricate and complicated, however it allows every player to create their own style of combat. Customizable characters even further this notion, you can play this game 1000 times and never handle things the same way.

The story, meanwhile, is one of the greatest ever to be found in a video game. In a faux-European setting, a power struggle between two dynasties and a power-hungry Church leads society at large dangerously close to Apocalypse. Intrigue abounds, and many of the plot twists are simply too stunning to predict. However, the story is paced out well. It all but ends in the fourth act of the game, and the resolution is somewhat lacking, but everything leading up to it is far too explosive and stunning to deny.

Give yourself a month or two to play this, and prepare to engrossed if you allow yourself to get into it. This is as well made of a game as I have ever played.

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