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Good, but could have been better

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: October 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Tactics for the original PlayStation was one of my favorite games of all time, so I was looking forward to playing this game.

Only being two hours into the game, I have not reached any of the new content, and I have not tried the multiplayer yet, so I cannot comment on those aspects of the game.

The reanimated cut scenes are gorgeous. However, not all cutscenes were animated, and only being in chapter one, I've only seen one, which is when Ovelia is abducted by Delita. The other scenes so far have been with the in-game sprites. The voice acting is a nice touch to the animated scenes. The new translations give the speech in the game a similar feel to FFXII, which works considering the setting. Gameplay works exactly as it did in the original, which is part of the reason I love the game. If you are not into grinding levels, this game won't be for you. On tip though, the glitch in the original that allows for quick mastering of certain job classes is gone. Looks like he have to be honest men and women from now on. No big deal though.

The two big issues I have with the game are technical in nature. The game expierences slow down any time there is a special effect of sorts curing battles. This occurs during spell animations, mainly, but I've experienced it even using things like "Throw Stone" and items, and even during monster attacks. The sound effects during the battles and the cut scenes that use sprites leave a lot to be desired as well. The sound of wind blowing is particularly horrific.

One more thing to note is just that you may have to get used to new names of abilities. It's nothing big, but every one in a while I check to make sure that it's the same ability it used to be. No big deal.

The game still looks great. Some may find it a little dated, but I think because it's on the PSP, it's not that big of a deal. The music is still excellent, although it doesn't sound re-mixed or re-arranged to me, which would have been a nice touch

Overall, it's a good game that improves on the original, but I would have been willing to wait longer to have some of the technical issues ironed out.

A True Masterpeice

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: October 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I can't begin to count how many reviews have come out for this game comparing it to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (here on "FFTA") I wish they wouldn't do that. This is very much the original game with some key improvements. While I, like many would very much like to see a sequel to this game a well done remake is just as good. With 2 added characters, Classes (Jobs), Multiplayer, smoothed over graphics, smoother game play and updated script and wording to truly resemble a very "Feudal Age England" Square Enix has truly turned a legend into a Classic. Many complain that some of the more forgivable features of FFTA (changing Equipment and Jobs pre battle as opposed to preparing before landing on a battle area & the ability to redo a move should it be a mistake.) Quite a few Tactical RPG's support as unforgiving a Battle System as the Original Final Fantasy Tactics. Although I would have enjoyed some new content and a bit more in the area of side quests I do love the fact that the PSP now has a shinning title that will perhaps give it a much needed boost to attract in even more exceptional games.

Nothing new to see here

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 25
Date: October 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Everyone I know who is a fan of tactics is a true fanatic. We loved this game and want sequels in the series. This, is not a new game. It should be a "gold edition" or "10 year anniversary series" There are 2 new features between this and the original:
Some animations
Multiplayer capability
This doesn't constitute a new game and a new title. Also as other reviewers have pointed out, the game runs slowly. I think Square Enix should take this off the shelf and create the sequel that fans really want.

A classic revisited

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

So, right off the bat, I must say, that Final Fantasy Tactics for PSX is my favorite game of all times. So I hope you understand that this review is quite biased, but, with good measure, I should hope.

First off, the bad news: It's true, theres a significant slowdown during battles only, when casting spells (protect takes forever, for example) and special attacks. The sounds and the actions might be out of synch at times as well. Also, there's new content, so far, most of it has had to do with Delita's own story. These scenes feel weird: they do explain thoroughly several plot points that weren't explained in the game's first iteration, but they feel a little bit tacked on to me....still, they serve their purpose, to further Delita and Ovelia's relationship, which is an important plot point that was glossed over the first time. Also, some sounds have been changed, most noticeably, the echo in the death rattles was taken out, and, it's not that it sounds cheap...but it doesn't sound as cool anymore. Some sounds HAVE been downgraded, like some higher level magic spells. All in all, I don't understand that tradeoff in particular.

The good - very interesting re-write of all the dialogue in the game. It was given the Ivalice-treatment, and characters now have a Shakesperian depth...just by reading them, you know what their station in life is, whether it be noble or not so. Also, the re-write made some of the plot points way clearer than the first time around. The incredibly intricate plot got a new lease on life, really. It makes me wonder what if they re-made Vagrant Story... I digress. So, the animated cut-scenes are beautiful, and the voice acting is great (not superb, but very good). And some people have complained about the fuzzy graphics. Honestly, I see the same pixelated isometric 2 1/2 D graphics I saw back in '98.

The neutral- so, the gameplay is the same: if you've never played it, it might take a while to get a hang of it. The gameplay is quite daunting for even regular gamers, and some people haven't even played it because they could never get a hang of it. Moreover, once you do get the hang of it, it takes a while to truly master it. Theres two new classes: Onion Knight and Dark Knight. The Dark Knight is a pain to get and is totally worth it; the Onion Knight might be worth it later on...there's also a multi-player feature which I haven't tried out yet, sadly.

Odd observation, this time around, the odds favor enemies a lot more often...for example, I once cast Haste on myself, with a 97% chance of success. Good as done right? Wrong. The spell missed. And that's just one example. I've been missing enemies with sure shots all the time, like 85% success rate. And yet, long shots, like 35% hits, happen more often this time around as well. The AI, I feel, is way more goal oriented this time around: enemies will try flanking you or will prefer causing status changes instead of hitting you directly. The archer, which sucked the first time around, is quite useful now, on both sides.

All in all, this is a great game, perhaps a bit pricey, considering that Jeanne d'Arc, another great SRPG is out for 10 dollars less. Obviously, two very different games, and, honestly, get both. If you can only get one, get this one. I'm gonna be playing this one for a while. Again.

PSP Tactics!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Tactics is a very fond name to many gamers (including me) and this port has been wonderfully re-translated
beautiful all new added cut-scenes really bring this gem to life.
2 new character classes *spoiler* Onion Knight and Dark Knight. Multiplayer and VS modes really make this the best tactics ever.

many of the coolest unlockables being unlocked in multiplayer mode, you might be asking why would I play multiplayer? well several reasons, the new clases have a huge assortment of items ONLY unlockable in Multiplayer as well as several new character additions and finally the 2 new classes.

the only part of the gameplay they didn't fix perfectly is the balance in battles the 3rd battle is harder then some of the boss stages but this is so minute a flaw it's hardly worth the mension. the only other slightly noticable flaw is a tad of slowdown during attack animations
but otherwise this game is currently winning awards all over (game of the month PSM-9.5 score) and is better then it was before.
truly amazing how well a game can be revamped into perfection unlike so many others. all the jobs in the job system are back and all the customization on characters you could ever want make this the stratagy rpg to own this year!

Graphics: old school New cutscenes etc 5.0 stars its a gem and wouldn't have been the same too overhauled.

Sound: its Final Fantasy do they EVER scrimp on the sound? 5 stars!

overall: with added classes, characters, enemies, multiplayer modes and more this is the final fantasy to own. 5 Stars!

buy it here:
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

5 star game, except the technical glitches.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: October 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is very well known, there isn't a need to go into all the great aspects of this game. Really happy that it's released 1 week ahead of schedule. But if this early release caused this technical glitch, rather waited.

There is a very noticeable slowdown anytime there is animation in the battles. Such as perfoming magic, using a skill, or even using an item. This is really bothersome, being that a PSP is as powerful as a PS2, this should not have happened.

Other than this, the game is perfect, but seriously, this slowdown is not bearable. Now have to buy the new PSP2000 that supposedly have more memory to reduces load time and slowdown to play this. Maybe it's intentional?

Great Game, Some Flaws

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 37 / 44
Date: October 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Tactics has long been my favorite videogame EVER. Nothing, I feel, has ever matched the original PS1 version of the game. Unfortunately, that still statement still stands.

I've always wanted a portable version of Final Fantasy Tactics, and when I heard it was coming to PSP I went and bought a PSP JUST FOR THIS GAME. I figured that with the fixed translation, new movies, and new content it would be pretty much the only game I would need for awhile.

Well, after sitting down and playing for hours, here is what I have to say:

Pros:
- The new animations are beautiful! And the voice acting is very well-done. So, big plus there.
- The new content is fun, and helpful (for understanding the plot)
- Multiplayer mode looks like it might be fun - unfortunately no one I know (and no one in the entire area as far as I know) has a PSP and Final Fantasy Tactics ... so I can't play it.
- The load time is almost nonexistent.
- Rewritten and well-translated dialogue! Yay! The translation is not perfect, I've noticed several grammatical and spelling errors in the dialogue, but its a big improvement from the last translation. I'm bit annoyed that its not perfect, though. Last time I could chalk it up to the horrible translation, but this time I really did expect perfection. Oh well. The big plus is that the plot is much easier to understand now.

Cons:
- Sound: It sounds like several sound effects were cut. I got especially annoyed at the first fight, when some of the dark knight's sword skill sound effects were cut. I don't know why this is. If you've never played the game you probably won't notice/care (though you might wonder at the strange silence for parts of moves ...). If you have played the game you'll be annoyed.
- Multiplayer: If you don't have anyone to play with, there is no way to get any of that extra content. I don't know why they couldn't have made the multiplayer missions an option to do all alone - sure they'd be hard, but still ... Very annoying that an entire section of the game is locked to you if you have no one to play with. Of course, you can disregard this if you actually have a friend, with the game, who is willing to spend time doing the multiplayer content with you.
- Graphics: The PS1 version has absolutely beautiful graphics; not a single pixel on the screen was was wasted. The grahics are still good in the PSP version, but in stretching out the game to 16x9 for the screen, everything looks somewhat ... fuzzy. This was actually a big letdown for me, because the original graphics on the PS1 still look great. It just didn't make the transition smoothly. But, this is a minor issue. If you haven't seen the original, you'll think this is a pretty beautiful game.
- Dialogue: Again, some grammar and spelling mistakes. Nothing big, but I really wish they'd been fixed.
- ANIMATION SLOW DOWNS. This was big. For almost EVERY special attack in the game, especially more
elaborate ones, there is noticeable disconnect between the sound and the animation. The problem is that the video lags so far behind the sound, sometimes the sound will finish playing almost before the animation has started ... this also considerably slows down battles, as the framerate drops so much. The PSP has powerful hardware in it, I have no idea why there is this problem. Especially because emulated versions don't have this issue. I thought that I would get used to it, but it just got more and more annoying, especially as I got stronger and stronger magic. This is the primary reason I gave the game 3 stars. It is not only incredibly annoying, it also considerably slows the gameplay down. UGH.

Conclusion:
If you've never played the game, do yourself a favor and go try it out. If the lag problem isn't too annoying for you you're in for an amazing game. The plot is sophisticated, and the gameplay is deep. Few games can really compare in those two aspects. And, if you're a big fan of the game, you owe it to yourself to buy it. The new content and new movies are great, and you can't get those on an emulator. That said ... the technical issues introduced in the translation from PS to PSP really knock this game down ... especially the graphics lag. I don't know what Square was thinking releasing the game before they had the problem fixed (I really don't understand why it would even be a problem, the PSP hardware is supposedly more powerful than the PS1 hardware ...).

I really wish I could give this game 5 stars, I really do. In my opinion, the graphics issues alone knocks it down a star, and the combination of everything else knocks another star off. I gave it 4 stars for fun because only the graphics issue really affects how fun the game is to play. Its still a great game, and if the graphics issue was gone I'd say it was a must buy. As is ... :(

*edit*
Its been a few months now, and I've progressed quite a bit in the game. I have well over 100 hours of playtime (no idea how many, exactly, the playtime clock maxed out long ago) and have played through every class and seen almost every ability in the game. Some additional thoughts:

* No multiplayer is still a bummer - I want some of those items, but there is no way for me to get them ...
* In my opinion (and feel free to disagree) graphics slowdown is still an issue. I purposely avoid white magic and use items instead, for example, to avoid some of the bigger offenders and speed up battle. If you read the comments for this review you'll see people who agree and disagree with my assessment.
* I'm continually impressed by the cutscenes, voice acting, and redone script.
* I still feel that the game isn't as crisp as the original PS version.

All of this said, this is still one of my favorite games out there (as evidenced by the fact that I still play it) ... but I do stand by my rating. This game is, in my opinion, hampered by technical problems - which is sad. But ... it is a lot of fun!

One of the Finest Fantasies Out There

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 39 / 40
Date: October 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy Tactics was without a doubt one of the greatest Playstation games out there. Starting off as a cult classic it became a big success when it was released later as a Greatest Hits package. Ten years later and Final Fantasy Tactics is still one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made.

Of all the Final Fantasy games, Tactics has arguably the best story out there. It's full of emotion, political intrigue, fantastic characters and it's very deep. If this is your first trump through Final Fantasy Tactics, prepare to be dazzled. It's still one of the most absorbing in the series. To the point where you'll be sad to leave when the whole thing is over. The game is also backed up by a fantastic new translation that out does the original and makes the world of Ivalice come alive. The translation alone may actually warrant Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions worth a buy even for those who played through the original game.

It's the gameplay that makes Final Fantasy Tactics a treat, though. Thanks to the job system, customization is nearly endless. Before each battle you can assign jobs to your characters. Each job has specific traits about them and can greatly affect how you perform in battle. Mages have devastating magic abilities while Knights are strong physical attackers. They also bring their own unique abilities to the table. Because there are so many job classes to choose from, there's a lot of experimentation you can do. As you master abilities you'll also be able to mix and match. You could have a Squire casting white magic, for example provided you've learned some of the white magic abilities.

As battles progress you gain experience. You pretty much gain experience after each and every turn, which is nice. Not only do you gain experience but you also gain job points to help you master the abilities in your job class. It's pretty simple stuff and you'll be surprised at just how fast you can learn abilities here.

Final Fantasy Tactics provides its own challenges, though. Not all your enemies are taken down easily, and if you don't take advantage of the opportunities to improve your characters abilities you'll be overwhelmed before you know it. When they say Final Fantasy Tactics, they're not kidding. Sometimes little simple mishaps in your strategy can cost you a battle. Not only that, but even doing things such as casting spells you must be careful with because if any of your characters are in range, they'll be struck by that spell. You also have to be quick about reviving characters otherwise you lose them forever. If your first plunge into Final Fantasy Tactics was with the GBA version released in 2003 you'll be in for a rude awakening.

There is also a multiplayer thrown in there. You can work with a friend or battle friends. First there are melee battles where you can battle up against friends and then there's the Rendezvous Battles where you'll team up with a friend. These let you get some rare and hard to find items that are otherwise unable to be obtained.

While Final Fantasy Tactics is a great game, it certainly doesn't do as much in the technical department as it does in the gameplay. The game itself doesn't really look any different from the game released ten years ago. There's little, if any, enhancement to the graphics at all. For the pleasure of story, however, there are some pretty cool cutscenes thrown in that are incredible looking. These cutscenes are truly artistic and in depth. While those cutscenes are beautiful, it's a shame Square-Enix did little to update the games other visuals. Despite the cool cutscenes, though, there are some slow down issues in battle.

Music wise, though, Final Fantasy Tactics easily has some of the best music in the series. It's still memorable to hear and can still give many video game soundtracks a run for their money. While the voice acting isn't as good as other video games, they add a lot of depth to the cutscenes.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few differences outside of the translation to Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions. New characters such as Balthier appear. There are new missions exclusive to the PSP version as well as the multiplayer aspect of the game. While there aren't a huge assortment of new items and abilities, you'll find War of the Lions takes a much longer time to master than the original.

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions is a great re-release of a great classic. While it's still a good game a bit more could've been done to update it. The technical issues will probably annoy some fans, but for the most part you're getting a good game. Even if you have the original, this one is worth a look.

Pros:

+A fantastic storyline
+Beautiful soundtrack
+New job classes
+Good cutscenes
+Addictive gameplay
+Tons of customization
+The New Translation is far better than the original, making even the experience of the story completely different for those who went through before. This alone makes the game worth a purchase for those who already went through it and enjoyed it once before

Cons:

-Will be difficult for newcomers
-Some technical issues with the graphics and sound
-Not much of a graphical update at all, it looks just like the original Playstation version

Best game for the PSP!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is without a doubt the best game on the PSP.
I was a huge fan of the original Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSP and this new version is able to improve on almost every thing that was in the original.
Even though most all of the script was changed from the original, it is still very, very well done. Granted, this may mean we lose classic quotes from the original such as "Blame yourself, or blame God." but overall, that's fine. The script is much more refined and all of the translation issues have been fixed.
The voice cast is very well done, starring Phil LaMarr as Ramza. The voices picked for the characters were exactly what I had pictured their voices to be.
The only minor thing wrong with the game is the slowdown experienced when characters and NPCs perform special attacks. While this may seem very obvious at first, after playing the game for 15 hours, the slowdown doesn't bother me at all. It is an issue that was big on the Japanese release and was supposed to be fixed for the American release, but sadly wasn't. Yes, it is an issue, but a very tiny issue that the user will become accustomed to after playing the game for a while. It isn't enough of an issue to warrant lowering the score of the game.
With the addition of new hidden characters, new missions, animated cutscenes, fixed script, and everything else new, this is a must buy game for the PSP. I've beaten the original version 5 or 6 times, at around 80 hours each time. I anticipate this version to be the same way.
Highly addictive and well-written storyline and the replayability factor are top notch. Kudos to Square-Enix!

My addiction

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Coincidentally, I had just dug up my old PS version of FFT to replay, when I discovered that it was going to be re-released on PSP. This was my first tactics game, which led me to try others, but FFT by far surpassed them all. So I blew the dust off my PSP. Yes, the PSP version is the same game (shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone: read the title), but the additional scenes and updated translation are well worth it. The plot and even particular conversations make more sense, and the Renaissance-like dialogue really enhances the aesthetics. I recall putting in 100+ hours (the clock only went up to 99) on the original, and I expect I'll be doing it again.

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