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Final Fantasy Tactics A2: strategic gameplay on DS
(by Caleb Rumley - July 09, 2008)
Ever since the start of Final Fantasy Tactics games on the PS1, the series has been well known for its complex gameplay and excellent turn based battles. The newest iteration, A2, is an interesting but traditional take on the series – there are no major revolutions or changes, but simply more of the same.
I found the story to be especially weak. In an obvious take off of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the story focuses on a young boy, Luso, who is magically transported to another world via a dusty old library book. Once transported into a world of myth and magic, Luso meets up with Cid, a heroic adventurer who helps him get on his feet. From there, the two build a party of travelers who accept quests, take on enemies, and gain fame.
The gameplay is very traditional. There is an abundance of different classes and races – over 50 classes and several different races, so each character is very different. Each battle is turn based, and characters move turn by turn. The top screen provides the order of characters (which actually turned out to be pretty helpful), and the bottom screen simply shows the action.
A2 has various different attacks that each class can use – whether it be spells, tactical shots, or sword-based attacks, the amount of strategy is simply huge. However, with all of these different actions, I found it difficult to manage each and every character.
Square Enix should have used the system they used in Crystal Chronicles DS – which I enjoyed because it was simple and intuitive. Buying, equipping, and crafting equipment in A2 was frustrating and took up way too much time. What frustrated me the most was crafting a new bow, sword, or staff and realizing that the characters I currently had couldn’t use it because they were the wrong class. Frustrations such as these could be avoided if Square Enix had spent more time streamlining and reorganizing the equipment process.
That gripe aside, A2 is still full of excellent, strategic gameplay. There are over 300 quests in the game, so there are hours and hours of gameplay within the one tiny cartridge. The judge system is back, so each quest has a certain restriction – such as no ranged attacks or no healing. While the judge system can be pretty frustrating, if you abide by the rules, you get a nice post battle bonus.
The sheer number of customizations for each party is staggering. Every game turns out a little different, and even though the game has a weak story and item management system, it still provides a huge number of quests and probably 60-70 hours of gameplay, if not more. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimore of the Rift gets a 7.0 out of 10.
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