Well, these are my opinions on the characters in FF IX now, since I've done XII. Gotta keep it fair :)
Zidane:- He's a happy chappy, don't you think? :D I can't believe he's only 16, though. But, even though he's a thief, he spends most of his time thinking about the good of other people. Which is good, I guess, since he's the one who pushes the merry band of FF9 to save the whole world and all. And even though he only likes Garnet because she's pretty at first, he does develop and mature and I think that they're a really great couple. And I love how his hair looks in the video. XD
Garnet Til Alexandros 17th:- Alright. Hands up who hates the clip she is always wearing? It's hideous. And why does she change it to a blue one for her coronation? It is still horrible!! But I like her. She's an actually strong female character, without being all cut off from the world and everything. Plus, she's one of the few characters in the FF series who is pretty normal. The rest of them are really brave, strong, rebellious, etc, but Garnet is a normal person who gets scared or sad or frustrated.
Steiner:- Yeah, he's a bit pompous, but don't forget that he works for the royal family. He's just funny to take the mick out of! And you can't doubt his loyalty. It's a bit annoying that he;s always shouting though. And the noise his armour makes gets a bit old very quickly. But it's also very funny that he's scared of Vivi, who is the sweetest scaredy cat ever.
Vivi:- Finally!!! I LOVE Vivi. Best Final Fantasy character EVER!!!!! He is soo cute! And his eyes are really cool. As is his hat. And his coat. Again, he is soo cute! Just in case I didn't get that point across the first time. :D I love him in videos, especially the ones right around fighting the Black Waltz 3 for the first time. When his hat flaps around and he looks all sad...Aww. Plus, since he's a black mage, he is pretty much a staple in all battles, seeing as he wields all the elements.
Freya:- Okay, rat people? Awesome. Plus Freya is a cool character in general. I love the way she fights. But it is a little frustrating that she goes away for ages and then she's really weak for such a long time. But once she's at an equal level again, I love her. Her javelins are seriously cool!
Quina Quen:- The he-she freak of Final Fantasy. Which is it, for God's sake? It's wearing pink, but I guess that really doesn't make that much sense...But his/her Eat and Cook abilities are pretty cool (a completionist's worst nightmare, obviously, but hey!) and I love the hat!
Eiko:- Okay, she is so NOT 6 years old, right? But still. She's loud and obnoxious and ever so slightly arrogant. Just the sort of person that if I met her in real life I wouldn't be able to like. Wahey. She annoys me, but she does get a lot more mature over the game and then she is a lot less annoying. Especially once she gives up on Zidane. But she is cool in the film clip with her and Garnet when they summon Alexander.
Amarant:- Moody, miserable and full of himself. A classic character. His hair is cool, but his beard is so not! Although, the idea of him fighting with his claws is unbelievably awesome!!! It does annoy me a lot, though, how when you first get him he has got NO abilities, so he gets lumbered with ancient equiptment for a long time just to learn his abilities!
Hey:) It's Gildas, Not Haru this time, Mwahaha!
In her first post, Haru made an interesting point about the revert of the battle system, to a seperate loaction, with real-time controllable battles?
This reminds me quite a bit of the STAR OCEAN series. Very similar to FF, with a few interesting quirks, and very random hair colours. But the battle system is exactly that: You encounter enemies on the field and are taken to a smaller location matching the surroundings, in which you can move the character around and use the different buttons to use different attacks. If FFXIII Does use this system, it will combine for a fantastic game. The Trailers already look fantastic, but there's one other FF game I'm hankering for... Final Fantasy DISSIDIA.
Dissidia: Final Fantasy, as it is known, is a fighting game.You choose your characters and, either on a story or versus mode, battle with your enemies. But here's the twist. Who do you play? Well, choose the main hero from each Final Fantasy and there's your character selection, and maybe more. Who do you fight? Choose the main VILLAIN from each Final Fantasy...
Yes.
You can fight as Firion, or Zidane... Against Sephiroth.
O. M. G.
Anyone else here seeing limitless possibilities?
THough it's for PSP, I cannot wait for this one to come out.
Long Live Final Fantasy!
This is my list of all the characters in FF XII. Sounds pretty boring, but it has my views on the people, so if anyone disagrees, we can chat!! Just comment telling me you disagree, please! ^ ^
Vaan:- Am I the only one thinking, same old, same old? I mean, we did the whole blonde hair, cute in an oh-so-slightly feminine way, reallly cool trousers (:D). Not that I'm complaining at all. I just think that he and Tidus are a little too similar, and remind me of a watered down version of Cloud, who pulled off blonde, spiky hair in a whole new way for me. But I like Vaan as a character. He's an optimistic 17 year old - but then he has to be. His parents died before the Imperial War, so he lived with his brother Reks. But when Reks decided to join in the fight, Vaan went to stay with childhood friend Penelo, until both Reks and Penelo's parents died due to the war. But he has hopes for the future; he knows he wants to be a sky pirate, and own his own airship. Vaan is always hopeful and cheery, which is truly refreshing. In battle, Vaan is a good all-rounder.
Balthier:- The 'leading man' (his words)...of what though, I wonder? He's a 22 year old sky pirate who seems to make up his morals as he goes along, with no regrets. But at least he can admit that. And I love his rings!!! Where can I get some? :D His voice can be a little annoying sometimes, and the gun is a very weak weapon compared to others, but it is very useful having more than one ranged weapon on your side. His character seems pretty new (not the arrogant part, most of the men in FF have that trait, haha), unlike Vaan, but I personally would like to know a bit more about his past. But I gotta admit, he is kinda cute, and there's something verrrry endearing about him... :)
Fran:- Okay, the Viera as a race have got to be the most awesome race in all the FF games!!! (Except maybe the moogles and the chocoobos. But chocobos can't talk, so they don't count XD) She is my personal favourite for party leader - because then I can attack from far away and so get attacked myself less :) - and I love her bow and arrows. And on Shiva, the whole Beserk effect? Cool. Seriously cool. Although, it was annoying that she kept on getting targeted by Vossler...But HER VOICE IS JUST SO ANNOYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I wish I knew how old she was. Vaan had it spot on when he asked, and I can't believe no-one answered him!! >:|
Basch:- It took me about half the game to notice the scar on his face. How bad is that?! But then it just reminded me of Squall...Happy times :D I don't understand Basch as a person. I get that he's loyal to his country and it's royal family and all, and that it must have hurt to lose all his dignity and be branded as a traitor, bla bla bla...but he is just so dull!! Lighten up if you want to make friends, buddy, or else everyone will hate you. Plus, what is with the whole patchwork thing on his chest - I'm worried more about the pink. It's a hideous accesory, and the colours clash way too much - and not in a good way. :D
Ashe:- Another miserable character. Goodie. She needs to learn to smile a bit more. She could stand to learn from Penelo!! She is only 19 years old! I know she lost her husband and her country and all, but still. Also, were we supposed to be shocked when 'Amalia' turned out to be Princess Ashe? It was totally obvious!!! Plus, she's kinda like...I dunno. She acts all tough and everything, and yet she's a bit useless. Plus, there are too many princesses in all the FF games ^ ^ Garnet was definitely the best (but only once she cut off her hair and lost the hideous clip thingy...eww).
Penelo:- A 16 year old orphan, she is one of the only characters who knows how to smile, for god's sake!! She acts as Vaan's older sister a lot of the time, teasing him and yet doling out good advice and a sharp word when he needs it. But I don't ever equip her with the dagger like she should have. She is my pole character (and not just because I wanted to give SOMEBODY a pole ^ ^). She is also someone who I play as a leader a lot, because she's just fun as a person.
So, that's all the main characters...Onto the guests now?
Amalia:- I already covered her in Ashe, but I just wanted to reinforce my point that she is *so* clearly Ashe. Duh!
Basch:- Again, already covered, but before he is a permanent feature in your merry band, you get to cart him around while he wields absolutely no weapon and so deals rubbish damage. Ew.
Lamont? Larsa? Whichever he really is:- Okay, I'll admit it; I found it really hard to believe he was a boy until he started speaking a lot. He just looks unbelievably feminine!!! But he is a good guest character, since he is so generous with his limitless hi-potions. Plus, he's really clever for a twelve year old, and just wants 'what's best for the world'. Yay.
Vossler:- Awesome sword. Not as good as Cloud's, admittedly, but pretty darn amazing nonetheless. XD It is pretty cool how he just hacks down all the bad guys, and he's also a pretty fun guy to fight against, too.
Reddas:- Telekenesis. Nuff said.
I just got off the playstation. I have just spent the last few hours staring avidly at the screen, playing Final Fantasy XII.
When it first came out, I wasn't keen, I'm not afraid to admit. The graphics are great, sure, the characters are really likeable (as is always true of the FF games), the music is as good as is to be expected from Final Fantasy, and the storyline was as in-depth as you could hope for. Also, I managed to get my hands on the walkthrough guide at the same time as the game, and I am truly loving the hardback cover!
But, I was unbelievably devastated by the sudden change in battle system! Final Fantasy is (to me, at any rate), a fantasy RPG based on random turn-based battles in a seperate environment! I just could NOT get on with the whole real time fighting thing!!
So, after a year or so's break, I then decided to give it another go. This was purely because I was moving house at the time, and FF XII was the only PS2 game I hadn't packed. Gutted or what? ^ ^
The second time around, I managed to get into properly. It probably doesn't hurt that I'm now older and more seasoned at PS2 gaming, and so my performance has gone up in general. Let's face it, who can hate a game that they are incredibly good at? :)
So now, I have fallen in love with the newest Final Fantasy to be released. But, there is still something I dislike about it...It just doesn't feel like Final Fantasy to me now...The battle system was what made it special for me, as the game is primarily based around battling.
Here's hoping that the graphics keep improvig, but the creators come to a happy medium regarding the battle system!!
(What I heard on the street is that they found a compromise...The battles are random encounters again, but you are taken to a special battlefield where you fight real time...Hope it works when FF XIII is released!!!)
Buh bye for now!!!