I just found this website (you were linked in an article by Mary Goodden in this month’s issue of escapistmagazine.com, if you want to know), and I really like it. I particularly enjoy the fact that you guys review games from the point of view of game design, something that is surprisingly hard to find elsewhere. It provides a fresh perspective that people like me, who have some experience in trying to design games, really get a lot out of. Please do more!

Anyway, I feel compelled to comment on this really old article, because I also was pleasantly surprised by the different battle mechanics in Final Fantasy XII. While I have really enjoyed some of the Final Fantasy games in my life (4, 6, 7, 8), I’ve always felt that the combat system was just a little too stilted, especially once we made the move from 2-D to 3-D. The first FF games were refreshing because they basically automated the old pen-and-paper roleplaying games and gave pictures to everything; the characters and backgrounds and enemies were all there, all the time. The turn-based combat began to stand out more and more as animations were introduced and then increased dramatically in quality. They made even less sense when we moved from pre-rendered backgrounds to a real-time, persistent world environment. For me, the combat in FF12 is great; it allows you as much strategic control as you want, if you’re fast and accurate with the game’s interface. And visually it makes MUCH more sense to have a constant interplay of people attacking and being attacked than the old one-at-a-time style.

As far as the License Board goes, there was one thing about it that appealed to me in particular. I have been sick of the locked-in roles that Final Fantasy games (and other rpgs) give to their characters for a long time. As was noted in the comments, the older FF games let you choose your characters skills and jobs, just as you can do in the pen and paper games. Maybe I don’t want the main character to be a swordsman. (In fact, maybe I don’t necessarily LIKE the main character that much, and would prefer to play as one of the other characters in the party for most of the game.) And maybe I don’t think all women need to be physically weak and relegated to “the back row”. Final Fantasy XII allowed me to make the petite blonde girl my sledgehammer-weilding, heavy armor-wearing tank, while “main character” Vaan basically played the role of my white mage and archer. I had a lot of fun with messing up the stereotypes that are usually foisted on you in a game like this.

Stupidly, I still can’t comment on your new article now because I want to play FFXII myself first. It’s not even the spoiler phobia I usually have, but I do want to see all the “innovations” with fresh eyes (as far as that’s possible from reading the usual previews and from listening to my brother’s enthusiasm).

I just think it’d be more interesting if I wouldn’t have your analysis as my “first impression”, and later I’d toss in my own view.

But – that will happen only after I finish Twilight Princess I’m about 18 hours into the game – so, another 50 to go (supposedly).

Also, I would like to add that the License Board is not really a different game play concept but just a different kind of visualisation and user interface. It is just clever information design which explains relationships between skills visually. I would also argue if it is really “the best concept for skilling RPG characters”. For example, I enjoyed the character creation of “Fallout” more…

I find the idea of the gambit system unsetteling. It seem to me like Square used the Gambit system to make the dull fights go quicker. That’s just covering crappy design with more features.
If the real strengt of the Gambit system is autmatization, I would rather use it in a strategy game, with a mind-blowing ammount of fights.
But then again, I haven’t played FFXII yet

To sum it up I have a question. You said a lot about how the system works and how you made healers with it. What I still do not understand is why you like this system but dislike the old one?