Final Fantasy XII's story begins in Dalmasca, in a world where magic happens all the time and the skies are crowded with airships. Dalmasca is home to a young man by the name of Vaan. He dreams of leaving the town one day, and having an airship of his own. Dalmasca is in the midst of a huge conflict, and against this backdrop, Vaan meets Princess Ashe, the only surviving heir to the Dalmascan throne. Long thought to have perished, the princess and Vaan team up with Vaan's friend Penelo, sky ... more >>

Final Fantasy XII's story begins in Dalmasca, in a world where magic happens all the time and the skies are crowded with airships. Dalmasca is home to a young man by the name of Vaan. He dreams of leaving the town one day, and having an airship of his own. Dalmasca is in the midst of a huge conflict, and against this backdrop, Vaan meets Princess Ashe, the only surviving heir to the Dalmascan throne. Long thought to have perished, the princess and Vaan team up with Vaan's friend Penelo, sky pirate Balthier and his partner Fran, and Basch, a captain from the Dalmascsan army who killed the king. Together, this disparate group will determine the fate of their world.

FFXII includes a new Active Dimension Battle feature that facilitates the seamless movement between combat and exploration. There's also a new feature called the Gambit System. This brings together the familiar turn-based strategic gameplay and the excitement of real-time combat. The Gambit System lets players dole out instructions to individuals within the group. Cleverly enough, if you designate one of your group as a healer, he or she will automatically do the deed when one of your party suffers health-wise. The Final Fantasy series was once famous for its random battles feature, but FFXII does away with this. Players can now see potential opponents before going into battle. Indeed, a fight isn't always guaranteed, as some foes will not engage in battle unless provoked. Some will even fight among themselves or pick on creatures weaker than themselves.

Of course, there's much more to FFXII than is immediately apparent: there are many side-quests to partake in, hidden areas to uncover, and a bonus bestiary of exotic creatures to discover...and destroy. << less