Final Fantasy Tactics is a great strategy game you'll be playing for hours.


Publisher: Sony
Developer: Square
Genre: Strategy
Origin: Japan

First, the graphics in Final Fantasy Tactics are amazing. The battle environments are extremely well designed and detailed to perfection. A prime example would be the battles in the churches -- so beautiful! And with a full 360 degree rotating camera, you'll see that every stained-glass window, every house shingle, every tree branch is picture perfect.

You can also expect to be visually dazzled by all the spells that your characters will be able to use against opponents. In fact, you can expect to see some of the same spells that appeared in Final Fantasy VII. Titan, Bahamut and Ifrit are all here. And although they may not look as impressive as the ones from Final Fantasy VII, they do however look extremely cool and definitely fit the classic, medieval theme that Final Fantasy Tactics possesses.

For those who are expecting an in-depth story, prepare yourself, because it is deep. Never have I seen so many twists and backstabs in a plot. On the other hand, the story can be so in-depth that the plot tends to get confusing. I mean, there is like, a zillion characters you can recruit. And since all of them look really similar, and all the names literally possess no vowels, keeping track of a huge cast with confusing names is really difficult.

Now don't worry about getting lost in the game. Although the story may be confusing at times, you?re still floating from one battle to the next. Square did attempt to make the game a little less linear by enabling gamers to wonder around to towns and exploring the land, but it?s basically battle, stock up on items, battle, stock up on items, etc.

All in all, Final Fantasy Tactics has many strengths. It's the best turn-based strategy game on the market. And if you?re a fan of the Vandal Hearts-like genre, I recommend this game to you.