Square Enix Officially Unveils Final Fantasy XII

squareamp writes "According to 1UP's in-person report from the Tokyo unveiling, Square Enix has officially taken the wraps off of the latest Final Fantasy game - Final Fantasy XII. There are new images available of our main characters: Vaan (1), Vaan (2), Ashe (1), Ashe (2) - who are both described as Humes (taking a page from the race system of Final Fantasy XI: Online)." 1UP's coverage of the event also reveals "there won't be any branching-path system in place", possibly making the game more freeform, which could be "a large (and welcome) step away from the very linear scenario design of past Final Fantasies." The creators also indicated the game is 70 percent done, and is currently "due to be released in Japan in summer 2004."

Welcome?

[ivan256]

If you don't like the type of game past Final Fantasy games have been, then please don't pretend that you can say anything objective about them. There is nothing wrong with a linear story line. Many of us enjoy that type of game. If you don't then go play one of the millions of other games out there that don't, and end up being massive slash fests instead.

Also, in a preemptive response to the inevitable "Final Fantasy games invented the need for a strategy guide" comments: Shut up! Just because you're too dumb to figure out how to do things in the game without the guide, or you're too lazy to take notes while you play so you can actually remember the important details and figure things out on your own doesn't mean the strategy guide is *required*.

It amazes me that people think like this and then wonder why the adventure genre dried up. /me dons asbestos clothing....

no branching path == extremely linear

[chrismcdirty]

Am I the only one who interpreted "no branching path system in place" as "extremely linear gameplay with one ending".

The way I see it, a branching path system involves different results to your actions... something I don't recall any FF game having.

It just seems to me that they're trying to pretty up the same old game using new-fangled wording.

Re:Two heroines

[Anonymous Coward]

you know, i think there are two problems related to this issue of androgyny. the main one is that there appears to be a huge cultural gap here. in the west, the preferred type of male is the "macho" one. if he's not, then he's uncool, weak, feminine, what-have-you. but in japan (and the orient in general), it's perfectly acceptable for men to be beautiful. in fact, the most beautiful guys i've seen are more beautiful than girls could be. to me, neither tidus nor vaan look like women. if you think they do, you ain't seen androgyny yet. ^_~

the other problem is that most of you aren't girls. you'd be surprised how many girls like beautiful men. ^_~ and they're straight too (both the aforementioned girls and men).

Us growing up, them not

[Txurlo]

I think the main thing here is that we've played FF7 five years ago, and we expect something a little more 'adult' (not dirty, just more grown up) than these 'new' games looks to be.
So, they don't appeal to us as much as the old ones did, necessarily because we're inching away from the target audience year by year...