Forum Overview :: Gamerasutra

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Short Review by mrs. johnson 09/11/2003, 2:11am PDT For all you lovers of FFA for the PSX, don’t pass this up. It’s very similar, but there are a number of key changes that make the gaming experience considerably different. The basic battle engine is the same, with one addition: the Laws. Basically it a set of rules (starting with one at the beginning of the game and ending up at three near the end) that prohibit certain weapons or actions. For example, one of the first battles prohibits SWORDS. So any characters with swords who use them will either be fined or sent to jail (I still haven’t figure out what determines this, and I beat the fucking thing). Jail means money and time and stat loss (randomly). Fine means just stat loss. Both sort of shitty. But in the middle of the game, anti-law cards are introduced, and… well you get the picture. The class system gets changed. No longer do you learn abilities just for being a certain class. Remember the FF9 system where the characters learn abilities from their swords? It’s like that, except only certain classes can use certain weapons. This essentially makes mastering any class impossible until the end of the game, when you can win/steal the weapons needed to learn the last skills, like Giga Flare for the Sage. Race is another component added in. Only certain races can be certain classes. Some overlap and make things confusing, but more strategic. The class system works fine, actually, and I didn’t have any problems whooping the game’s ass. This could be a problem if you’re an anal freak like me, because massive leveling and class development makes the game a breeze. Plot wise, the game is weak. No more politics or wars. Just a bunch of kids warped to a whacky world cliché. The plot goes on at your indiscretion since the first mission at each Pub is always the one that progresses the plot. There are 300 missions total, and maybe 20 of those are mandatory. The fun lies in doing all the crazy side quests to get all the items. Overall, the game is too short and too easy, but enjoyable. An extremely reasonable thing for the GBA. Recommended. the mrs.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Short Review by mrs. johnson 09/11/2003, 2:11am PDT