Get lost in the land of Ivalice!

User Rating: 9.5 | Final Fantasy XII PS2
Final Fantasy XII is a divisive game. Those who enjoyed the Nomura Final Fantasies have complaints. Those who played the old school turn based have complaints also. The idea of this game took a while to grow on me. At first it seemed completely overwhelming. Especially after the opening scene when you are simply dropped into Rabanastre and you have to figure everything out. It took a while. Leveling was time consuming at times. I got annihilated several times on some very difficult bosses, and yet...I felt this was a wonderful game with an amazing presentation. It is not for the weak of heart. It is not for those who want to run through the game and just get to the end. This is a game world to explore and see. I have been amazed at the vastness of the game world. The vistas you see along the way and the soundtrack that accompanies every moment.
Graphics: I don't think I have seen better graphics on ANY PS2 game. I only wish the PS2 was more capable when it came to a HDTV display. Love the art style.
Sound/Music: It was kind of weird for me not to hear the trademark music style of Nobuo Uematsu, but as I went along I really began to enjoy the music. Very epic and grand. A very good musical score in my opinion.
Accessability: The game is accessible, but you need to be serious about finishing this game. Figuring our gambits takes some work, but once you get your strategies down...Yiazmat and Omega Mark XII will fall to your wrath. In fact that could be a complaint as you could presumably go shopping and come back to find you won the fight without evening holding the controller. (That's about what happened on Omega Mark XII for me. Yiazmat was a different story...he took a REALLY long time.)
Overall, I love this game. I have played it twice. I will play it again. It requires patience, but the experience of living in Ivalice for a while is awe-inspiring and well worth your while.