Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)

[wingman]

Couldn't find a thread on this yet.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is the HD remaster of the PS2 title Final Fantasy XII, set to release in 2017 on the PS4.

Looks pretty fab to me - I played the original for a few hours and couldn't get on with it (despite being a huge Final Fantasy fan). I'm ready to give it another fair shot as I've heard lots of positive reviews over the years.

I think the UK version was pretty borked in comparison to the US and Japanese versions too, so to get a definitive version is pretty great.

Square Enix are, in my opinion, really pulling it out of the bag lately. XV looks and plays superbly, the recent Steam/iOS/PS4 re-releases are great nostalgia fests, Final Fantasy VII Remake needs no description, and now this? I appreciate they're fundamentally cash cows but I am hyped for the next couple of years to see what SE deliver (or don't, as we may see).

Copied from the US PlayStation Blog;

Updated Graphics

We’re thrilled to give players a chance to return to Ivalice in Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age, so we’ve updated the visuals to full HD resolution, including the environments, characters, and movie scenes to make sure they look their best on PlayStation 4.

Newly recorded soundtrack

Final Fantasy XII’s soundtrack features some of the most beloved songs in the series’ history, and this was a perfect opportunity to revisit its epic score. We’ve re-recorded FFXII’s background music using the current generation of sound production, now in true 7.1 surround. For the purists out there, you have the option to switch between the new and original versions of the score at any time.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/06/06/final-fantasy-xii-the-zodiac-age-launches-on-ps4-in-2017/

What do you think? I'm not keen on the name, could've left it just Final Fantasy XII - HD Remaster, a la Final Fantasy X.

 

[wingman]

I think I'm one of the few who enjoyed this when it came up - but I'm worried that was only because I hated FFX so much. So anything after that was going to seem good to me.

As a general rule of thumb I think if you loved X then you typically didn't gel with XII - and vice versa.

This is a shame as X, for me, is borderline perfect.

 

[wingman]

Not a good rule of thumb at all. Some people feel this way, but it's like saying if you dont like shooters, you'll love RPG's. Plenty of people like both just fine.

FFXII was a bit misunderstood when it first released. It was fairly unique by FF standards and wasn't what people were expecting at all. It would probably have been better received if it was named something different. Either way, it's a game lots of people grew to love and is considered one of the better FF's by many nowadays.

You're pulling a straw-man fallacy on me - I never suggested it was anything like your analogy at all. I even said it was a "general" rule of thumb, something I have noted through the years of talking to friends and online folk whom are fans of the series. I concede that it won't apply to everyone, as I mentioned, it's a general rule that I have found to be true.

You've even said it yourself that XII was misunderstood - it stands to reason that it's because it's so vastly different to the big (non online) Final Fantasy that happened to precede it - i.e. X.

With that being said I'm hoping I do fall for this game this time round.

 

[wingman]

If it's beautiful then why does it need a remake/remaster?

XII, IMO, was begging for a remaster for some time. But IX, that's a different story - I've got it downloaded on Steam and it still looks stunning today. It hasn't aged badly at all, neither have VIII for that matter.

VII, still being my favourite of the series, looks abysmal however and the fact it's getting a fully fledged remake is nothing but a good thing. I replay VII a couple of times a year for nostalgia purposes but it's hard to deny it looks rough (if not charming). IX doesn't suffer from that, I find.

 

[wingman]

A 'general rule of thumb' would mean something is usually true. Which is not the case here. People who like both are not rare exceptions.

You can't prove that either way.

It's interesting to find old posts debating it though, look at this for example; it's very clear most people LOVE one or the other, the exception being the love of both;

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/play...s-ff-xii-which-do-you-think-is-bett-25823574/

 

[wingman]

Ah, so you mean a remake. The distinction is important.

VIII will get a remake first if I were a betting man, that's where my money will go.

If it's taken this long for VII to get one however I can't ever see any of the others getting a fully fleshed out remake, at all.

 

[wingman]

Yeah, sorry should have clarified. Yeah that's my fears. I personally even doubt it would get one at this rate. I'm watching some Steam game play in 1080 and it looks stunning. I'd die happy with that on the PS4 to be honest, not sure why they didn't bring it on the system.

One can't be far off, I don't understand why they don't try harder to get the older games on the new systems. Seems like easy margin to me, it's not like SE is a small company - set aside a small studio to work on it. The fans want it, it would make them money - get on with it!

I would quite welcome a remaster of 8.

I would also quite welcome FF games where the main protagonist's voice and mannerisms isn't modeled on American surfer/springbreaker stereotypes.

Ugh, I can't stand the recent games voice overs. I played through and completed Uncharted 4 recently and adored that game/experience. Then I watched a trailer for something Square Enix related, and my God it is pure cringe in comparison.

For example, watch this for Worlds of Final Fantasy;

Breaks my heart!

Looks good though.

 

[wingman]

The battle system in X-2 was so overlooked, I thought it flowed really well and I loved the fact it had a Game+ mode which for me was a first in any game (at the time), so I got to keep all my sphere grids.. If memory serves.

I normally find people grow attached to which ever was their first. I'm attached to number 7, but rate 9 up there with it. 8 and 10 are still amazing though.. then Enix happened and we got the first true sequel in a final fantasy game and it sucked imo, rapidly down hill from there.

That certainly holds true for me, playing VII first it is by far my favourite (and I do love a lot of the others, VIII and IX notably), I consider them sheer perfection even when I know that they are not.

 

[wingman]

New gameplay footage from PS Access;

Getting very excited for this now!

Also, apparently you can speed up the game to either 2x or even 4x;

http://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-xii-the-zodiac-age-has-a-fast-forward-but-1782062162