Tactics. Anyone who’s played it will speak of it, saying merely “tactics,” as if they were on a first name basis with the game. They whisper it at night. Oh yeah. Seriously, It’s one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played. Despite a fascinating battle system and intricate plot, I’ve played it so much that I can’t decide whether or not to call it “good” anymore.

The long and bloody 50 year war sleeps fitfully in its grave as the two most powerful princes in the land of Ivalice, Larg and Goltana, contest for control of the entire continent in what would be referred to, years later, as the “Lion War.” As Ramza, a member of the prominent Belouve warrior family, you must pick your way through a war bereft of mercy, where right and wrong are stood on their heads and nothing is holy. Or is it?

This is the basic plot of Tactics. I think. I’m not sure. I may have missed something along the way where in a cut scene or in a rumor . . . maybe there actually was no war at all. Maybe it was just a plot of some vicious shoe gnome who was using me for his own ends of gnomishly stealing shoes. Or maybe it was the truth . . . my head hurts.

Tactics’ plot is as dense as a 2 year old fruitcake. The cast of characters rivals War and Peace in length, and frankly, I don’t remember most of their names, or what they were plotting at the time. The game is a web of political intruigue that loops and twirls and maimes your brain if you think about it too much. It is possible to keep track of the whole plot, but the fun in the game has nothing to do with that. If you like complicated story lines and political mystery/intruigue/powersanding/yodeling/shenannigans, then go for it, but for the average game schlub who just wants to get his stab on, it’s confusing and unnecessary.

Right. The Battle system Leaves the usual turn based Final Fantasy fare for a much more complicated 3-D grid-battle. You pit your five (or fewer) units against the might of the enemy on a detailed square of ground, about which you can move freely. If any of you have managed to unearth Bahamut Lagoon, it bears more than a passing resemblance.

Good or Bad, one of the udeniable things about Tactics is that its replay value is sickeningly high due to the Job system and large amount of secret items. (A Job system is an in-game system that allows characters to change their special abilities, or “Job”) The game is so minutely detailed that the possibilites of meaningless character building and equipment hoarding are literally endless. It’s amazing what the game can convince you is a good idea. For example: There’s a level called “deep dungeon,” which is 10 stages linked together, all played completely in the dark. Why play it? I dunno. Why did Sundu and I beat Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts that fated New Year’s eve? Maybe the Sparkling Cider went to our heads . . .

By the end of the game you can have an always hasted, always protected, shielded God Man who knows Ultima, can teleport anywhere on the screen and squash just about anyone with his twin gigantic swords of pain. The problem is that achieving such god-like status (giant swords of pain, etc.) takes a really really long time. For those who enjoy plot, the length and detail of the battles make the game crawl along at a pace that’s difficult to handle. It’s a trade-off: It’s detailed, but almost to the point of boredom.

Having sacrificed countless hours of my life to the obsequious deity that is Final Fantasy Tactics, I can no longer view it in terms of “Good” or “Bad.” The game is incredibly detailed, Well thought out, engaging, thought provoking and graphically appealing. It is also more addictive than crack, caffeine and murder put together, not to mention time consuming. I have therefore omitted The sections entitled “What liked” and “What disliked” to give a more objective perspective. Whether or not you like these characteristics, I leave to you. I’m going back to more lucrative activities. Like organ farming.

What to expect: a deep level of involvement, an interesting battle and job system, the crack of video games

What not to expect: a typical Final Fantasy game

What's so different from this and other games of it's genre: It makes use of a lot of the conventions of the Final Fantasy World (Chocobos, Black Mages etc.) but adds several new elements. Uses 3-D Grid for battle, and employs an extremely mobile Job system.

Ratings on:

Control: 9 (sometimes a little slow, but no real problems)

Graphics: 9 (2-D sprites in a 3-D World . . . it usually works. sometimes a little quirky, but usually quite beautiful. Especially Summons.)

Sound: 7 (Good for the time. Not Perfect, but Good. Music gets annoying after a while.)

Style: 7 (Not totally original, but makes good use of the Final Fantasy genre. Definitely has its own character.)

Difficulty: 7 (Challenging, but not impossible.)

1st hour: 3 (What the HELL is going on?)

2nd hour: 8 (ok, I’ve got a grip on things and I think I’m getting it. What’s up with this zodiac poop?)

1st week: 8 (I’ve only just started Chapter 2 despite the fact that I play a few hours every day. Uh . . .Is that bad?)

5th week: 9 (My party can beat up your party.)

8th week: 5 (Why am I still playing? Oh well, one more fight.)

9th week: 4 (Why AM I playing? Oooh . . . what’s a MIME?)

#1 reason why I hate this game: ooooh, I’m sure if I only learned (insert ability here) then my party would be perfect. Ooooh, I’m sure if I only learned (insert ability here) my party would be perfect. Oooooh, I’m sure if only . . .

by Free”Watashi no pantsu ni samurai ga aru to omoimasu”