Support NeoGAF

[Baron Aloha]

Well, I'm going through my backlog and I finally got to FFTA. I've played it for 1-2 hours and to be honest I'm not sure if I want to keep playing. Let's go through a list of what's wrong with this game (IMO, of course - and no, I haven't played the original FFT):

1. This game is slow. Quite possibly the slowest game that I have EVER played. You have to press about a million buttons to get your character to do something in a battle and you have to wait what seems like forever for your next turn. And then of course, you have to sit there and watch the character (and enemies) do their little routines (like walking from point A to point B and stuff like that). I wish there was a button that you could just press to skip all that crap and just kill the guy. Long winded doesn't even begin to describe the battles. It must have taken me at least 10 minutes for one stinking battle. Ridiculous. WTF were the devs thinking?

2. It's been bitched about before but I'm gonna bitch about it again. The judge/rules system sucks and it just bogs down the already plodding battles even more. So I've got like 6 party members. Half of them have swords. I enter the first battle of the game and what happens? The rule is "Forbidden: Swords, Recommended: Staves" - JUST LIKE THE FREAKING PA COMIC!!! So then of course half of my turns were worthless since I didn't have any other weapons for those characters besides swords. I'd like to shoot the genious who thought that this would be a good idea. Thankfully I figured out how to view the laws before a battle starts on the world map, but it's still a pain in the ass.

3. The game has a cheesy plot and sub par diaglogue. I don't even want to try and list all the things that are wrong in this area. I'm getting a headache just thinking about the stupid things that the characters say to each other. And to top it off, everything just seems so completely unoriginal that it's almost painful. Oh who am I kidding? It IS fucking painful!! Oh look! An annoying moogle character who's only purpose is to insert the word "kupo" into lines of dialogue at any given point. Sorry Square, it wasn't cute in Secret of Mana, it wasn't cute in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, and it wasn't cute in any of the countless other games where this happens. And guess what? It's not cute here either. More like repetitive and annoying. The fact that a moogle is one of your main party members just makes things even worse. Like I said, theres more things than just that which I found dull or annoying but I'll spare everyone the details (and I'll spare myself the turmoil of recounting them).

And that's about it right now. Like I said, I've only played it for an hour or so but this game has just turned me off so much in that brief period of time that it isn't even funny. I'm praying that someone here will convince me to give the game another go (because I'd really hate to waste $30 on a game that I'll never play again). I know that by having played it for such a short period of time that I am probably jumping the gun but I haven't been so upset with a game since Lagoon on SNES - which I rented and hated from the word go. I suppose FFTA can only get better from here (job system, etc) but things move so slowly that I'm not sure I will have the patience to stick with it. Is there some way to at least speed up the battles?

 

[Dead]

the law system is such a joke, worthless.

 

[MoxManiac]

As a big fan of FFT, I was quite dissapointed. Thought it was a borefest, really. Shelved it completely when FE came out.

 

[Wario64]

 

[Vargas]

I agree with the first two points. The Final Fantasy series is my favorite game series but I just cannot sit through the battles in FFTA. It is like they want you to throw your GBASP at the wall.

 

[Fularu]

Awesome

 

[SantaC]

best.PA.Evar!

 

[Baron Aloha]

Yeah, that's actually one of the better PAs IMO. I thought it was pretty funny pre-FFTA and now that I've played it I think its even funnier.

 

[SantaC]

The battlesystem is too slow for my taste. i did quit with this game shortly after the snowball fight.

 

[callous]

I really like FFTA. I've put about 45 hours into it so far. I like the laws. They force me to try out all the classes and races instead of just sticking with a power party. I don't mind the pacing much except for when I'm waiting for the judge to move. I love the setting.

That said, it's very easy for me to see why some people wouldn't like it

 

[Bizarro Sun Yat-sen]

I'd like to shoot the genious who thought that this would be a good idea

His name is Yasumi Matsuno, and you can find him at the Square Enix Product Development Division 4 offices working on FFXII

 

[siege]

I put around 35 hours into FFTA before shelving it. It became so absolutely monotonous and pointless later in the game - my attention was better served with the wonderful Fire Emblem.

Boring story, corny dialogue, slow pacing, and an irrefutably bad menu system do not a good game make.

Edit: My bad, Bizarro. Fixed.

 

[Bizarro Sun Yat-sen]

how does one go about refuting a menu system?

 

[belgurdo]

I like this game too. And if you're having problems with the law system, then something's seriously wrong with you. There are billions of ways to beat it or use it to your advantage.

And I think there's options to turn off the animations, since speed is also a concern for you (although I can't see why, since FFT was slow as shit too, as well as all SRPGs...)

 

[akascream]

I actually enjoyed this game a lot, though I don't think I finished it.

 

[neptunes]

and the sad thing is that the game sold 1.5 million worldwide last november.

it probably reached 2 million.

 

[GaimeGuy]

FFTA suffered from the same problem as SFA: Great sound, nice graphics, good control, a good idea: It just wasn't fun.

 

[Bizarro Sun Yat-sen]

FFTA suffered from the same problem as SFA: Great sound, nice graphics, good control, a good idea: It just wasn't fun.

That's kind of a nonstarter. Do you think the problem was with the balance or the tempo or what?

 

[neptunes]

it did have Great sound, nice graphics, good control and a good idea.

The gameplay itself was the problem.

 

[Mister Zimbu]

Meh, it WAS the best SRPG on the GBA before Fire Emblem came out. Too bad.

So why did you send 6 swordsmen into a battle where swords weren't allowed, anyway?

 

[golem]

i hated this game.. what a waste of time

 

[callous]

So why did you send 6 swordsmen into a battle where swords weren't allowed, anyway?

Had me wondering too.

 

[Vargas]

He didn't know that you could check the laws before entering battle, when he sent those six swordsmen into battle.

 

[Prospero]

I gave FFTA 20 hours before shelving it. My main problem with it wasn't just the law system (which was a needless hindrance that added zero strategic or tactical complexity to the gameplay), but the fact that the game was so easy that playing it wasn't a challenge, but a chore.

Gladius does a far better job of implementing a mechanic similar to FFTA's law system (by restricting the eligibility of certain gladiators for certain battles).

 

[Diomedeskun]

I agree with the lack of challenge, but the acquisition of new weapons/abilites and the sheer number of missions kept me hooked throught the whole game, even the post-game judge missions with Cid.

It was rather disappointing, but , until Fire Emblem was released, most SRPGs I played were much easier than the original Final Fantasy Tactics (except the original Tactics Ogre, where buildup was just too slow for me).

After Vandal Hearts 1-2, Kartia, Front Mission 3, Shining Force 3, and Tactics Ogre Gaiden, I simply got used to SRPGs not having any challenge.

 

[fart]

Like I said, I've only played it for an hour

gaming forum you haven't aged a day.

 

[Bog]

Strangely, Pocket Games had one of the only print reviews of FFTA that ripped into the Law system. Wonder who wrote that...

 

[ourumov]

I played for 10 hours...then I realized I was just using it to make me sleep.

 

[junkwaffle]

I find your complaint about the use of Rules System more of an indictment of your gaming wits.

 

[Prospero]

It was rather disappointing, but , until Fire Emblem was released, most SRPGs I played were much easier than the original Final Fantasy Tactics (except the original Tactics Ogre, where buildup was just too slow for me).

After Vandal Hearts 1-2, Kartia, Front Mission 3, Shining Force 3, and Tactics Ogre Gaiden, I simply got used to SRPGs not having any challenge.

So Fire Emblem's actually difficult? I need to go out and get that, then.

Ogre Battle 64 could get pretty difficult, near the end. Disgaea's randomly generated Item World can get damn difficult--you can get boards where (for example) most squares do 20% damage to all characters, but the enemies get a 3x bonus to all stats, and during each turn one character on the map (including your overleveled mages or fighters) is selected to be cloned as your enemy. Power-levelling is no help there.

 

[belgurdo]

He didn't know that you could check the laws before entering battle, when he sent those six swordsmen into battle.

How? The game even asks you to check the laws before you start fighting...

 

[Baron Aloha]

How? The game even asks you to check the laws before you start fighting...

I'll tell you how. The game was moving so slowly up to that point that I just kept pressing buttons to move on and I skipped past it.

 

[Gattsu25]

Now that that's out the way:

I'll tell you how. The game was moving so slowly up to that point that I just kept pressing buttons to move on and I skipped past it.

I'm sure this possibility seems impossible to some of you

 

[Brian Fellows]

I've never played it cuz I want no part of the law system. I dont care how easy it is to get around or beat cuz that isnt the point. The point is I dont want some dipshit law telling me what I can or cant use in a battle.

 

[adrockthekid]

I agree with the lack of challenge, but the acquisition of new weapons/abilites and the sheer number of missions kept me hooked throught the whole game, even the post-game judge missions with Cid.

It was rather disappointing, but , until Fire Emblem was released, most SRPGs I played were much easier than the original Final Fantasy Tactics (except the original Tactics Ogre, where buildup was just too slow for me).

After Vandal Hearts 1-2, Kartia, Front Mission 3, Shining Force 3, and Tactics Ogre Gaiden, I simply got used to SRPGs not having any challenge.

You thought that FFT was tough, but not Vandal Hearts? Wow. You've got some bizaare strategy going on, or some crap. I absolutely destroyed FFT with almost zero problems, and though it's been a while I recall some seriously bitch-ass fights in Vandal Hearts.

 

[belgurdo]

I've never played it cuz I want no part of the law system. I dont care how easy it is to get around or beat cuz that isnt the point. The point is I dont want some dipshit law telling me what I can or cant use in a battle.

Early on you get so many characters through missions and so many ways to fight or beat the laws that they are a non-point.

 

[Gattsu25]

non-point? no


inconvenience and/or stupid design decision?

 

[Cherubae]

I actually enjoy the laws I also liked the sphere grid in FFX that everyone else seemed to hate.

I remember some tough Vandal Hearts battles. oye....