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Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (Nintendo DS)
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| Description:
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift is a strategy and tactics game with battles, missions, swords, and sorcery, set in the universe of the hugely successful FINAL FANTASY series. Alone in a foreign world, Luso befriends a motley crew of monks, mages, archers, and soldiers. The only hope you have of finding your way home is to turn your ragtag group of misfits into a finely tuned fighting force. As you gain experience and reputation, your job options grow as well as the rewards. But after spending some time in Ivalice, you may never want to leave!
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4/5 |
A deep and charming experience that will provide you with hours upon hours of strategical goodness
(August 31, 2008) |
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Final Fantasy Tactics has always appealed to those gamers who were looking for a FF game with a little extra kick, and let me tell you... this game has it in spades!
It begins with the same typical story, ripped straight from it's predecessor. Luso, a young boy, gets sucked into a magical book called a grimoire, and finds himself in the peculiar land of Ivalice. I'll spare you the torture of the the subsequent happenings, but it's all textbook fantasy from there on.
Luckily for me, and most other players, the story is not where this games strengths lie and is most definitely not the reason I bought it. Unlike other FF games, tactics relies heavily on what it's title would suggest and requires the player to do much more than simply hack n' blast through the enemies. You are given the choice to play as a selection of races (7 in total) with each having a variety of jobs available to them. You can spend hours upon hours just tweaking your party to your liking, or to the current tasks requirement. Each job, as you would have guessed, excels in a different area and it's finding the right balance that is the key to winning. Players can also choose a sub job too, which adds another layer of depth.
To some extent, the races also have their own strategical value too. Gria for instance can fly, and therefore bypass having to climb or being surrounded, while Moogles and Nu Mou cannot enter water so you have to keep all of this in mind. While it is true that a few of the jobs are somewhat pointless or a little silly, for the most part TA2 does a very good job at giving the player as much choice as they could possibly want, and it's this that makes the true strategy RPG fans feel right at home. You choose your race, your jobs, your weapons, your abilities, which quests you do and don't want to do... there are a lot of options and chances to micromanage and it's all offered to you in a very crisp and functional way.
Now, it obviously isn't all as simple as it sounds. During battle you will have to keep many factors in mind. Each unit can move a certain amount of spaces per turn and this is determined part by job and part by equipment. You also have weaknesses and resistances to take into consideration, as well as many other details such as counter abilities, positioning and most importantly the rules. Players of the first GBA title will be no stranger to the judge, except that in this game if you break the law you simply loose your clan privilege and the ability to revive deceased members or obtaining the special item after the match.
Along the way you can pick up new recruits, including some familiar faces as well as compete in auction houses for control of the land. This and many other pace breakers help do exactly that and keep the game interesting and running smoothly.
This and the main story missions which are usually accompanied with mini cut scenes and dialogue. It's nothing majorly interesting but it's enough to hold your attention and give your battles minor purpose.
The game lasts 50 hours plus depending on how many of the quests you wish to accomplish. Completists will find 100 hours plus easily and even more if you want to try your hand at all the available jobs etc... I'm under no illusions that this games is perfect, it's far from it but it builds upon the already brilliant formula and what it produces is a game that is fun, addictive and intricately designed. For all it's flaws it has many areas in which it excels and as far as handheld games go this is a winner. If your looking for something to eat away at your time and to make your mind ticker away then this is your game. |
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5/5 |
This Is How You Do It!
(August 08, 2008) |
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After a slew of unsucessful and just downright bland Tactical RPGs for the DS have been released, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is a cut above the rest. You play as Luso a mischievous boy who accidently gets sucked into the world of Invalice via a magical tome found in his schools library.He meets a whole host of weird and wonderful characters like the feisty yet mysterious girl Adelle and the cute,wandering troubadour Hurdy.While the games main story may fall a little short it definitely makes up for with various side-quest, known as jobs. Jobs are very much like the first Tactics Advance game a main objective with a judge law to uphold which some of them are easy to stick to like not using items or the more trickier ones like only being able to attack under 50 attack points or having to move 3 spaces at a time, while admitted like grow frustrating and tedious the game doesnt disappoint. Character classes are a big deal in the game while there are quite a few default classes alot of the more colourful classes are acquired by completing certain jobs such as the moogles Chocobo Knight or the Humes Yojimo (which is like a bodyguard). Another great addition is the Bazaar which is located at the shop, while only a few basic weapons are available certain items such as vines,a fire crystal will give you something like a bow which as a skill attributed to it. As a fan of the series I'm very impressed with it, and it's one of, if not my favourite DS game so far.
Graphics: 10/10
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Extras: 7/10 |
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5/5 |
Fantastic!
(August 03, 2008) |
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This game is a massive departure from Final Fantasy Tactics for the GBA that came out a few years ago. This game returns the player to Ivalice, a magical world set in the Final Fantasy Universe. This time, you play as Luso, a young, full of life character, who's journey to get back home takes may thrills and spills. The combat system is almost exactly the same as the previous title, with one of the biggest differences being the altered Law system. Players now select a 'Clan Privilege' that offers a bonus effect (such as enhanced movement, speed and power) as long a as you uphold the law.
Two new playable races appear in this installment, Seeqs and Gria. Both are interesting to have in your team, I strongly suggest recruiting a Gria as soon as you can. This game boasts a massive 300 quests to complete, which will keep you busy for hours!
Breakdown:
Graphics: 9/10: Some of the best I have seen on the DS, they really shine through when Scions are summoned.
Game Play: 10/10: With countless ways to customize your team, the possibilities are endless.
Sound: 8/10: Typical Final Fantasy sountrack.
Longativity: 10/10 With 300 quests, and general exploring on top of that, this game takes hours to complete (I am at over 50 hours playtime, and I have not completed all quests yet)
Overall: 9/10: A strong addition to the Final Fantasy series, I would recomend this game to fans of hand held tactical games, final fantasty fans, and to those who loved the first game. I love this game, and I will continue to play it until I finish every little thing there is to do! |
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5/5 |
Turn based tactics at its best
(July 28, 2008) |
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If you like turn based tactics games this is the one for you! Immersive gameplay, lots of jobs (classes) and sheer endless tactical possibilities and depth. Don't expect a deep story, expect very varied fights, some (especially in the first part of the game) rather easy, but some quite difficult. As you can change between jobs and have two different sets of skills there are numerous ways you can approach each tactical situation. Smart combination of your skills will be rewarded and the "Law" system* adds to the alure, as it keeps you from constantly using the same tactics and characters. Two difficulty settings add to the already good value for your money.
In short, there is no better turn based tactics game for the DS. Period.
*for each battle there is a certain restriction (like: no using fire, or no blunt weapons). You can still win the battle, even if you break the law, but you will miss out on some bonus loot.
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5/5 |
As Good As Ever
(July 15, 2008) |
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Almost exactly like FFTA. Which is what I was hoping for. The Law system is not as harsh as it was and some other small aspects have changed but the core of the gamneplay is as horribly addictive as ever. If you buy this prepare yourself for the "Just five more minutes" effect that has you ignoring that fact that it's three in the morning on a weeknight just so you can finish this next battle. It looks pretty sweet too, and stylus controls have been implemented (which apparently weren't there in import versions). |
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