Today Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is available for the PS4 for 49.99 USD. The remastered version of the game updates Square Enix’s PS2 classic as well as adds some brand new features. We selected the game as one of our Top 5 RPGs of 2017: July and we’ve put together some launch details as well as a recap of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age reviews from other outlets.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Review Recap
FINAL FANTASY® XII THE ZODIAC AGE improves upon the classic FINAL FANTASY® XII, now more beautiful and easier to play than ever. The high-definition remaster introduces several modern advancements, including reconstructed battle design and a revamped job system. Players both returning and new to the game will experience a grand adventure that spans the world of Ivalice in an entirely fresh and improved way.
For a full rundown of everything that is new in the game, check out the full preview we wrote last month that goes into more detail. In addition to new graphical and audio updgrades, the game is receiving a few new game modes as well as the Zodiac Job system in place of the license grid. The job system functions more like classes and lets you specialize your characters.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Reviews
So what do the critics say about it? Currently it has a metascore of 87 with a user rating of 9.3. Here are a selection of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age review scores:
- Gamespot: 9/10
- IGN: 8.8/10
- Polygon: 8.5/10
- USGamer: 9/10
- Game Informer: 9/10
- Destructoid: 8/10
The consensus is that the game has held up very well over the years, which we touched upon. The additions are solid. In particular the Zodiac job system is drawing praise for the freshness it brings to the gameplay table. While making all these improvements, the question for many is whether it’s enough to win over those who didn’t enjoy it during the PS2 era. But newcomers to the game may find themselves putting hundreds of hours in as they get to know a whole brand new cast of characters. Seasoned gambit players will be able to fall in love all over again.
Are you playing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age? Thoughts on the remaster and all that’s inside? Let us know what you think in the comments!
More News
4 responses to “Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Review Recap”
Bought the game yesterday and today i tried it…..it’s early to say anything, i’ve just taken control of Vaan and i’m at level 3 atm^^
The new class system seems interesting….but sadly i won’t be able to see all the specific classes as once you choose a specialization you can’t change it….
I think i’ll choose the standard classes, such as:
Vaan: Sword and Shield
Balthier: Spears
Fran: Bows
Ashe: Katanas
Bash: Great Swords
Penelo: Poles
By the way….I was checking the list of Weapons on line and i’ve noticed that, in the Zodiac Age edition, they have implemented new weapons for each class……this is absolutely great
Do you know if the Weapons obtainable in the standard version of the game have suffered some consequences such as material to sell to get that weapon etc ?
I still have the original guide and usually I refer to the guide to get all the final Weapons
I would…
Would you be interested in writing a proper review of it then?
My favorite Final Fantasy (or the 5 I’ve played anyway). It’s great to see it on the PS4 (though PC would have been even better, but I’ve waited long enough to play this on a modern console).
The graphics aren’t a match for the likes of, say FFXV (understandably so), but the remaster job has, nonetheless, made big improvements, looking to be on-par with a PS3 title (and the faces look better than ME Andromeda, wtf?). The music, which was always great, now sounds absolutely gorgeous, with the caveat that, like any game that’s over 50 hours of gameplay, an hour or two of music does get repetitive. Ideally music would gradually fade away when you’ve been in an area for a long time, or the player would have an option to keep the music playing during “dramatic” moments and muted or lower volume otherwise.
One other change that would have been nice is some menu speed options. It’s a PS2 game, on PS4 you shouldn’t almost never have to wait for a menu to respond.
In terms of story, it’s the best of the series I’ve seen. It can get a bit convoluted, but by FF standards (and, indeed, JRPGs in general) it’s understandable enough, and is actually sophisticated with relatively little sappiness (such as was abundant in FFX, among many other FF games).
The combat system, especially the programmability of PC AI, is the best turn-based system I’ve even played (at least so far. I played the original FFXII all the way through, I’m only about 10 hours into the new version). Add to it the ability to speed the game up 2 or even 4 times, and you can practically run the game on autopilot, yet the game is still fun because you essentially programmed the autopilot and get to see it in action!
Log in to leave a Comment