It's finally time to review what I used to consider the worst Final Fantasy since Mystic Quest. Final Fantasy Tactics was a huge step or two in a different direction from most Final Fantasy games. Did this huge step profit them? No, not really. But I can respect them for it.
     To start, I'm really glad they called it Final Fantasy Tactics instead of simply dubbing it Final Fantasy VIII. The name Tactics shows that not only is it not your average Final Fantasy, but also the 'Tactics' is almost a way of admitting that they used the system from Tactics Ogre (a Super Nintendo game made by a different company that was never released to the SNES in the States). I was severly disappointed in Final Fantasy XI for calling itself eleven. If they would've called it like 'Final Fantasy Online' I would have no problem, but being the cheap bastard that I am, I won't be playing it any time soon, and it depresses me to know that I'm skipping a numbered Final Fantasy. Oh well. It's just another Enix conspiracy to exploit the Squaresoft name for all it's worth. Conspiracy I tell you. Conspiracy.
     Anyway, continuing with FFT. Tactics is an interesting game because at first it has a ROCKIN' story. I never noticed when I played way back when how great the story is. Corruption within two rival empires fighting over the throne to everything is friken cool. Then throw in an 'evil church' aspect, and yes indeedy, we've got a neat game. On top of the plot, add an original battle system which allows for uber-customization of your characters and super necessary strategy. It sounds like the perfect game, right? Well, it's not. 
     Both the story and the battle system have the exact same flaw: they get old. They story is very interesting up until the beginning of Chaper 4 or so when the focus sways away from the corruption and more into the holy stones. Really, the evil church thing was cool, but when it started adding the super powerful holy stone creatures, things just get weird. Fast. I dunno. Maybe it's just me, but the story starts out so believable the way the game is constructed to look like a history lesson, but once it starts getting into the holy stones of power, things get weird. Lemme give it to you in a Simon Cowell (the American Idol guy) sort of way. Ahem. "It's rather like a civil war reenactment where Superman suddenly comes and saves everybody." You all feeling me here? To add such a supernatural element into a seemingly realistic game is just a bad mix.
     Now for the battle system. I think there are people out there who love it, and some that hate it. So here's something to test. If you or someone you know says they hate it, ask that person if they enjoy chess. I'll bet those that like the system will say they enjoy chess, because that's all the battle system is. I call it "Super Chess." If you took a chessboard, raised up certain squares to different heights, and gave the Bishops some white magic, then there you go. But, like chess, a game is fun. Two games is fun. Ten games is fun. But go beyond that, and it's BORING. With Tactics, you're forced into several consecutive games of chess, and soon enough you've gone insane. Also, one match that goes on for too long can make you go completely out of your mind. B-but! I almost mastered monk in one fight! And I've finally stolen the Genji Shield off of Elmdor! That gets so damn boring that it's unbearable. 
     The other major flaw in the game is the ease of working up. Once you start getting good enough to just corner a final goblin and knock his power/speed out, you can just sit there and accumulate until you're level 99. Then you walk into Dorter Trade City and fight those guys with just Ramza; chucking stones left and right and killing people. It just ain't right. It ruins the game. Let me tell you, the best way to play this game is to just go straight through with very little working up. When you're actually fighting people as opposed to monsters, you start to realize things such as Meliadoul is actually useful!
     Anyway, there's not much more to say about this game, but I do have a final rant. It's about Beowulf. That nasty perverted @$%^. Now, I read on one site this background story about some guy that turned Beowulf's lover Reis into a dragon. Then later in the game you can use a holy stone and turn her back to a human. Don't believe this for a second. Beowulf is actually a dragon-raping !#$%. Get Reis and turn her into a human with that side quest. Now, go to her "Dragoner" job class and read it. It says something about having the form of a human, "but is still a dragon." Yeah, that's right. This means that she was a dragon first. Ewwwww Beowulf. See, now here's my theory. Reis was a dragon and Beowulf loved her, so some jealous guy turned her into a human to spite Beowulf. Then it turned out that neither of them liked women, so that same jealous guy turned her back into her beautiful dragon self and hid her where Beowulf would never find her. Then when he does find her, that bastard Ramza takes her to a place and makes her human. Poor Beowulf just went with it. "Y-yeah, that's better. Now she's got umm, front humps. What're those called. Boobs! That's right. And I love those, right?"
     Okay, I'm back from that tangent. So in summation, Tactics is a great game for a while. It just gets boring as hell if you let it go too long, so just don't let it go too long. Don't bother stealing from people, it just slows things down. If you absolutely must have the best game imaginable, go for it. You just might get extremely bored in the process.

Goatbob's Rating: 
7/10 Lamps