Final Fantasy XII Replay Value

I'll be the first to admit that Final Fantasy XII (12) was not a great performance given by Square-Enix, considering the other games that they have put out. I'll also admit that compared to the rest of the series, it doesn't live up to the standard that they created for the RPG world. However, due to the unbelievable amount of side quests (Hunts, Espers, Loot/Bazaar Items) the replay value on this game is incredible.

On my first time through the game, I found it less than epic. The overall concept of fighting to restore an old, weak empire to its former status did not really interest me. I liked the original Final Fantasy games where the whole world was going to perish if the party died and did not accomplish their goal.

After a quick run through of the game and finishing it in less than 50 hours, I felt very unsatisfied with this game. After a while of completing other games in my arsenal, I returned to this title and tried to not only beat it, but accomplish everything else as well (getting everyone to level 99, finding all of the best weapons, etc). I went through the motions for the first half of the game until navigation was completely free from the storyline and I set out to accomplish these goals.

I had about ten times more fun doing these quests than actually following the storyline. I've now played the game for over 100 hours and I'm not even done yet. If you like the series, I would still recommend buying this game although not for the same reasons as the rest of the series. This game just gets better and better the more you play it.

Final Fantasy XII: 5.5
Final Fantasy XII Replay Value: 8.5