Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

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If you're after an epic adventure, look no further.

Another fine addition to the series is the gambit system that basically allows you to customize how your team-mates act in battle, right down to the most miniscule of commands. The options are limitless and you can program your team-mates to deal with just about any situation that presents itself. You're given 12 gambit slots (though you only start with three) for each character, and by purchasing gambits at stores or finding them on the battlefield, you can program your teammates to react differently when certain requirements are met on the battlefield. So, for example, you can program Ashe to heal a party member with Curaga once that party member's health points dip below 50 percent. Or, you can program Balthier to cast Flare only if any enemy's health exceeds 10,000 hit points. You can literally spend hours customizing your characters, especially when more gambits become available as the game progresses, and you better believe the system will save your hide more often than not.

But in order to acquire those precious gambit slots you'll need to purchase them off the game's license board. Think of it as FFX's sphere grid but on a chess board. By defeating enemies, your characters gain license points which in turn can be used to purchase the rights to use weapons, magicks, technicks and equipment. In other words, in order to use that sweet Deathbringer you acquired in the Henne Mines, you'll have to have obtained the license to use it. And you may have managed to steal the Genji Armor from Gilgamesh (good luck), but without forking over the 150 points to acquire the license, you're pretty much out of luck.

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But wait! Don't go spending all those license points so quickly; you'll want to save some for the game's Quickenings (uber-powerful spells) and summons. Each character can purchase up to three Quickenings which can then be chained in battle to dish out some serious damage. As powerful and invaluable as they can be at the start of the game, as you progress further and further into the main story, conserving your MP for healing in battle becomes priority number one.

Summons, on the other hand, fight on-screen alongside you and can be purchased on the license board, provided you've defeated them in combat. While the summons are extremely helpful early on, they quickly become an after-thought and going head-to-head with the only useful summons, like the ultra-tough Zodiarc and Ultima, requires your party to be at obscene levels to stand a fighting chance.

You're looking at more than 60 hours of gameplay

Visually FF XII is absolutely gorgeous, sporting a level of detail I doubt anyone believed the PS2 was capable of. Each character's facial expressions are fluid and of the utmost realism, displaying every emotion flawlessly. And that kind of brilliance extends into the audio department as well. FF XII boasts exceptional voice acting (though I cringe every time Fran opens her mouth) and a solid musical score that, although not on par with Chrono Cross or FFVII for that matter, certainly has no trouble standing its ground.

In the end, Final Fantasy XII is a brilliant RPG that delivers on all fronts including quite possibly the most enthralling piece of narrative the series has ever seen. If the 60+ hour quest isn't enough, the many clan hunts, secret weapons and dozen upon dozens of side quests will keep you coming back for more - and will likely contribute to a few missed days at work. Innovations like the active combat system and gambits keep the archetypical RPG format feeling fresh, while still remaining true to the core elements that have made Final Fantasy the epic series that it is today.

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