Final Fantasy Tactics

[MinisterofDOOM]

This is the one FF game I've always really enjoyed (not that I dislike any of the others, but I'm no FF fanatic).

I've been playing the PSP port a lot lately...I love this game!

The depth is amazing. Beyond the already deep character-building, there's the Zodiac. There's the Faith/Bravery system. The job system is fantastic with it's mix and match system that catapults the ability combinations alone into the stratosphere.

Fire Emblem is another excellent turn-based strategy RPG (series). It doesn't have nearly the depth that FFT does, but it has it's own outstanding features, like the weapon triangle and the "really really dead" death system where you actually loose characters for good if they die (which puts a whole new degree of intensity on battles since it is, again, an RPG which means you probably have some serious time invested in your soldiers).

[OldmanPurdy]

If you like FFT then I recommend looking for a copy of Ogre Battle Tactics on the GBA.

[Hijacker]

FFT was one of my all time favorite games. I heard they rebalanced the PSP port

[MinisterofDOOM]

It's 99% true to the original. Very much a PORT and not a remake.There are VERY few gameplay changes. The biggest changes are the new translation (which turns the old cheese into very well written dialog) which also means some different names (more true to FF anyway, like Black Mage instead of Wizard and White Mage instead of Priest) and additional CG cutscenes (replacing some of the in-game story sequences).

The few gameplay changes that were made were high-end ability JP cost changes (and only a few of those) and the introduction of a few new unlockable characters (specifically Balthier from FFXII and a character from the DS FFTactics Advance 2).

The Tactics Advance games are good, too, but there are two HUGE flaws that keep me from really enjoying them:1: The stupid Judge system (punishes or rewards for using certain ability types...for instance "BAN: Physical" which totally undermines the strategy system.2: Maps cannot be rotated. One viewpoint/perspective per map. And the yes, you do encounter instances where units will be obscured from view.Plus the tutorial and intro sequences from Tactics Advance are SOOO LOOONG you'll probably be bored of the game before you get to actually start playing it.

[BigMACKenzie]

I have a copy for the ps1, but I have never played it, still sealed in the box picked it up at a wal mart in bumblefcvk for $20

[xekushnr]

FFT was one of my favorite PSX games. It's too bad my copy has a crack around the hole. It works occasionally, but sometimes stops in the middle of playing. The game is great though.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Now I've got the strategy RPG bug.

I bought Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the Wii. VERY fun game. Supposed to get insanely difficult after a while.Now if only I could find Path of Radiance (the GCN prequel that appears to have dropped off the face of the earth).

[Hijacker]

MOD, you made me go pick up Tactics for the PSP

I whipped out my old Brady Games strat guide. That damned thing is falling apart it's so old

I'm wondering how differently I'll play FFT with 10+ years of 'wisdom' and 'experience' that I didn't have my first couple of times through. I'm fast teching some of my characters (ramza's a monk by the 6th story battle) I remember back in the day I was all "job upgrade wat?"

I have to say, I enjoy the new translation. It should hopefully fix some of the translation issues that made the original's twisting story a bit easier to follow. I know a lot of people had issues following the original translation and lost sight of the game's story line.

One thing I will never understand is why in ports, they can't take the 5 minutes to fix wind sounds. Square has always dropped the ball on that, and it irritates me.

They added extra toons, but did they take any out? Is Cloud still obtainable?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yeah, you can still get Cloud. His top-end Limit ability is one of the ones with altered JP cost, I think (I think they made it more expensive).

I'm pretty sure they didn't take anyone else out, either.

A friend of mine has the old guide, too, and his is no longer bound it's so used. It's in a 3 ring binder. The details in the old guide are a lot better, but the new guide has much better illustrations (map pictures aren't nearly as dim and are much easier to read). But the old guide should still do you a lot of good.

[Hijacker]

I have yet to meet someone with the old guide that hasn't fallen apart within a month of owning it. The glue for the binding was probably the worst they could buy.

I've played the game enough, I won't use the guide. I'll probably only need it to get my extra Save the Queen and Excalibur in the Deep Dungeon. Dual Excaliburs is illegal in 49 countries when Cid equips them.

[Thamm]

I have a copy of FFT a friend gave me but its scratched up and won't go past the squaresoft logo. I really want to play it....

[joe603]

Very cool game! Do you guys know about the level up cheat? http://www.gamefaqs.com/consol...18561

[Thamm]

Question:I just recently have my game fixed and there's hardly any scratches on it but my ps2 still won't read it. Does anyone know how to fix this?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Could be a bad drive on the PS2. Hard to say.

Very cool game! Do you guys know about the level up cheat? http://www.gamefaqs.com/consol...18561

Doesn't work on the PSP version. That's okay, though. This isn't the kind of game I want to cheat on. The entire point of the game is character development. Cheating that defeats the point of playing completely.

[Hijacker]

I would hate myself on a deep, metaphysical level if I cheated in Tactics. Half the fun of the game is jumping up in victory if you can win an outrageously lopsided battle. Like the freaking battle at the end of Act II with ramza trying to open the gate to the castle. That battle is honestly nothing more than pure luck.

[joe603]

You guys forced me to think about final fantasy...I won 3 auctions for FF4, FF6 and FFT for the GBA on ebay!

Cant wait to play tactics again!

[Thamm]

Well my FF7 and FF8 games plays like normal and it has way more scratches on it than FFT used to have.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Tactics for the GBA sucks. The maps are not rotatable and they introduced this IDIOTIC new Judge system which puts restrictions on the types of abilities you can use during individual battles (but you don't know what they'll be until you get there...so many times they'll effectively take whole party members out of the battle).

[joe603]

meh...I haven't played it before. I haven't played a tactics game in forever!

[gewky]

are you guys talking about fft a2?

[MinisterofDOOM]

No, not Tactics Advance; we're talking about War of the Lions, the PSP remake of the PSX original.

[joe603]

Tactics for the GBA sucks. The maps are not rotatable and they introduced this IDIOTIC new Judge system which puts restrictions on the types of abilities you can use during individual battles (but you don't know what they'll be until you get there...so many times they'll effectively take whole party members out of the battle).

I've been playing the game for a while now and I'm used to the law system. It's just an aspect of the game. You can see what the laws are by hitting the R2 button on the map icon. Also, using anti-law cards is part of the strategy.

I'm really into the game; I recommend it to anyone who like FF tactics!

[MinisterofDOOM]

I've been playing the game for a while now and I'm used to the law system. It's just an aspect of the game. You can see what the laws are by hitting the R2 button on the map icon. Also, using anti-law cards is part of the strategy.

I'm really into the game; I recommend it to anyone who like FF tactics!

Yeah, it sounds great in theory, but it's just irritating in reality...in my opinion at any rate. You have to have the anti-law cards in the first place before you can use them. If you don't have the right one, you're boned. NOT fun. But the real reason I hate laws is because it ruins what was a near perfect system anyway. There is simply no good reason for the law system to exist. FFT doesn't need the extra strategy the laws add...their addition is laughable in comparison to the depth that's already there.