Final Fantasy XII: An Evolution in Gaming, Part Two

Second, the gameplay. There is, of course, probably no more important aspect of a game than gameplay, as the term encompasses much of what a player enjoys in the game itself. In FFXII, the gameplay revolves around the gambit system - Final Fantasy's newest innovation when it comes to its battle and character development systems.

The gambit system is simply a system of simple commands that work in a specific order, and according to certain conditions. For instance, the gambit combination "Cure Ally HP Gambits are prioritized in order of importance, with the top priority actions being performed first before the lower priority options, even if the conditions for both groups of action are present. For example, if one sets the gambit combination "Cure Ally HP While the gambit system is seemingly complicated, it is actually easy to master. It also offers players the ability to redesign their strategies as they see fit, and to suit the needs of every unique situation. There is an almost infinite combination of gambits that can be utilized to bring about the result which the player desires. A total of 12 gambits can be set for each character in FFXII, allowing players to create certain roles for each of their party members.

Another important factor that adds to the customization of the characters is the license board. The license board echoes the character development screen of FFX, wherein players could "level" up their characters by adding to their stats and getting new abilities. FFXII takes the concept a bit farther - now, a license is needed for just about anything - wielding weapons, wearing armor, learning skills, magic, and summoning. While this does take some getting used to, overall it only adds to the possibilities open to the player. In essence, he or she can create any character type he or she chooses. For instance, if the players wants a team composed of pure fighters, he can start by getting the licenses for swords, spears, and shields for his characters, as well as the licenses that increase stats such as HP and MP. If, on the other hand, a player wishes to create mages, the licenses for spells should be acquired as well. License points are earned by killing monsters and bosses.