I'm getting a shade pissed that Final Fantasy 12 has gone from an early year release date from 2005 to now a March release date in 2006

I even *gasp* played Final Fantasy X-2 again

Any suggestions for a decent RPG to play in the mean time?

Was Chrono Trigger as good as people say it was? I have it on zSNES, but have never started it. I also played FF6 to the point where the world was all mangled (twice), and then something stopped me (the last time, I think it was Morrowind, which I was stopped in the middle of playing because Lusternia came out).

Eh.. the head producer was just announced ill so that probably affected it greatly. He's now switched his role to supervisor and another producer is overseeing the final process. Needlessly to say, he said the wait will be very much worth it.

What I don't like, however, is that the American company doesn't translate the script and work on voice actors as the Japanese do to speed up releases. For a trademark series like this there shouldn't be any "Well, I wonder if this will do well in America..." because we know we're all going to buy it whether we do at launch or later on. You'd be silly not to after the wait and the immense hype.

Or here: http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2005/1711.html

As long as it is nothing like FF X-2.

The most obvious change regarding the battle system saw Square Enix's fourth development team do away with the long-standing tradition of random battle encounters. Just like in Final Fantasy XI, players can see their foes on-screen, and apart from event-related battles, avoid an encounter. Like its two predecessors, Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XII will take a new approach on battles. Instead of the famous Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which was a key feature of the series until Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy XII will see players taking on Behemoths, Tonberries and other unfriendly inhabitants of Ivalice in so-called Active Dimension Battles (ADB). Unlike previous installments, the transition between field and battle map will be seamless. During battle, the environment's terrain will play a major role, as different height levels as well as distances between party members and enemies will effect the efficiency of attacks, hence forcing players to alter their battle strategy depending on the game's various terrains. Enemies will also be equipped with an enhanced artificial intelligence this time. Character progression remains, but according to Matsuno will stay a secret for the time being.


In battle so-called 'target lines' connect party members (blue-colored lines) and enemies (red-colored lines). Target lines do not only allow the player to target an enemy character, but also show which party member an enemy is currently targeting. Upon selecting a target and inputting a command, a Wait Time Bar will appear below the respective character's name. Once this gauge is full, the command will be executed. If no command is selected, characters will automatically keep targeting their opponents with standard attacks in Final Fantasy XI fashion. During command input the game will switch into Wait Mode, allowing the player to consider his options without any time limits. While the game is by default set on Wait Mode, the development team is implementing an Active Mode option, reminiscent of previous series' installments. In Final Fantasy XII, the selection of a leader (the character who is heading the party members on the field map) will also have an in-battle significance: He or she can make the other characters join in and execute a combination attack on one particular foe.


Last but not least, a new command called "Gambit" will be introduced. "Gambits" are basically command schemes similar to the ones seen in Kingdom Hearts, which after being assigned to a party members, will be executed automatically in battle. Depending on the assigned scheme, party members will either support the lead character with healing spells or take a more offensive role, thereby allowing the player to focus his entire attention on controlling the lead character.