2006
I have a strong love hate relationship with this game but I have immense respect for it.
It's plot is strung along by haphazard events and pure whimsy without any tangible pacing to speak of most of the time. The map and game world continually gets bigger and bigger with some new big bad enemy. Every time you think the game might end somewhat soon there's always something new behind the curtain, and the first couple times it can be interesting but it just keeps happening. It's essentially "But wait, there's more!" the game. Because of this the game can really really drag on as it goes. It's honestly probably like 40% too long in my opinion and parts of the middle are especially bloated like some never ending shounen anime.
With that said I honestly think it's a fantastic time to play for the most part. The job system is incredibly fun to play around with and it give the battles and overall feel of the game a flair that helps it a lot. Even some of the endlessly growing map has entertaining bits in it's approach with it's almost Metroid ideology with the different vehicles and means of travel you unlock through the story giving you access to new and old areas in new ways and there's even an added sense of optional exploration and content to this system making what was already a bloated game even longer, but it still felt worthwhile to me. Finding the hidden summons, especially going back and fighting the unbeatable enemy from much earlier in the game and making it become a summon, were unforgettable moments.
It's a game that tried to have a epic story early in the franchise but didn't really know how to integrate it in to this format very well just yet, but it really tried and despite it's glaring shortcomings in pacing I will always have fond memories of playing it. It's fun gameplay in the Job system actually make me enjoy it significantly more than even Final Fantasy IV, which has a story that is leaps and bounds better but was much more boring of an experience playing for me.
It's plot is strung along by haphazard events and pure whimsy without any tangible pacing to speak of most of the time. The map and game world continually gets bigger and bigger with some new big bad enemy. Every time you think the game might end somewhat soon there's always something new behind the curtain, and the first couple times it can be interesting but it just keeps happening. It's essentially "But wait, there's more!" the game. Because of this the game can really really drag on as it goes. It's honestly probably like 40% too long in my opinion and parts of the middle are especially bloated like some never ending shounen anime.
With that said I honestly think it's a fantastic time to play for the most part. The job system is incredibly fun to play around with and it give the battles and overall feel of the game a flair that helps it a lot. Even some of the endlessly growing map has entertaining bits in it's approach with it's almost Metroid ideology with the different vehicles and means of travel you unlock through the story giving you access to new and old areas in new ways and there's even an added sense of optional exploration and content to this system making what was already a bloated game even longer, but it still felt worthwhile to me. Finding the hidden summons, especially going back and fighting the unbeatable enemy from much earlier in the game and making it become a summon, were unforgettable moments.
It's a game that tried to have a epic story early in the franchise but didn't really know how to integrate it in to this format very well just yet, but it really tried and despite it's glaring shortcomings in pacing I will always have fond memories of playing it. It's fun gameplay in the Job system actually make me enjoy it significantly more than even Final Fantasy IV, which has a story that is leaps and bounds better but was much more boring of an experience playing for me.