Final Fantasy XII

In fact, there's a surprising amount of things in the game that don't really click until much later on. The targeting arcs, for one, initially seem like some kind of pointless visual flair and it isn't until you've got numerous Gambits set up (which we'll come to shortly) that at-a-glance updates of exactly what each character is doing become essential, allowing you to jump in and reissue orders if allies get a little too carried away. Even the battle system itself won't win any awards for immediacy but when you do the maths and work out how much of your life would have been spent waiting for fights to load had this been any other FF title, you'll discover a new-found respect for XII's choice of direction. Indeed, battles themselves benefit greatly from the new format (a blend of MMO-style command-queuing and more traditional FF ideas), somehow managing to capture the same dangerous level of addictiveness as the cream of the massively multiplayer crop while giving the player more to work towards than simply the benefits of levelling up.

But never let it be said that Final Fantasy XII is an easy game. Having to organise your three-man posse from six possible party members in order to maintain a balance in levels is tricky and time consuming to say the least, and with dangerous high-level creatures roaming most of the game's hostile areas, you'll need to keep your allies in check if you don't want to be assaulted by overly powerful dinosaurs or elemental spirits. Similarly, it can be all too easy to wander into the wrong area at the wrong time and be surrounded by enemies you won't be able to even touch for another twenty-odd hours - there's no shame or penalty involved in running away and you'll soon learn that this is often the best strategy when things get too much.

To be this far into the review without any real mention of the Gambit system is criminal, but if things had continued in the horrible way they started, you'd still be reading about the emotional and social impact of Vaan's haircut so it's not all bad. Anyway, Gambits. This ingenious system basically allows you to customise the AI of your party to your liking and as the game progresses, you'll be able to dictate in more complex and useful manners how your team behaves in combat. Up to twelve criteria-based actions can be set and like VII's unrivalled Materia system, this makes for some seriously deep customisation options - set up an ally to cast curative magic on undead foes with a certain number of hit points, use group healing spells when several allies lose health or detect an enemy's weakness and use elemental skills accordingly. The system is well explained and the hierarchy works well, meaning rules higher up the list take priority over lower ones, so basic actions such as attacking are almost always relegated to the lower tiers. It's far harder to explain than it is to use and within a few hours, you'll easily be settled with Gambits that work well for you until you discover new options later in the game.

But it's the epic and sprawling landscapes that really steal the show. With plains stretching out for miles from the central city of Rabanastre, it'll take literally weeks for you to take in everything on the map and only through continued exploration will you find all those hidden summons. These have always been the bits of Final Fantasy games that are used to show off the game to non-believers and, as expected, XII's are as flashy as ever. Those expecting the familiar line-up of Shiva, Ifrit et al have a new set of Espers to grow to love but for series veterans, that shouldn't be an issue - bosses from older games in the series make their return in this conjurable capacity as well a few more familiar faces.