It's obvious that you're just being deliberately close-minded
about FFT, so I'll respond to this one, let you rebut it and that'll be
the end of the discussion for me.
        Some people like to argue about games and put them down. I'm
here to enjoy my gaming likes with likeminded individuals - which we
don't.
-> Every RPG uses that! Flare, Summon Spells.. ever heard of a game
-> called WildArms? With around 25 Summons.. including most of the ones
-> used in Final Fantasy 7, except with different names!  As for the
-> Items! Well, again, ALL RPGs use them.. except under different
-> names.. Most of them still call them potions... In WildArms, they are
-> called beries.. Oh and Frog? That was used in another RPG, Final
-> Fantasy used to use IMP.
        There are staple items in every RPG. If anything Wild Arms was
noted for taking a lot of ingredients for success from the Final Fantasy
series into their own game.
        Saying "Every RPG uses that" is like saying ALL RPG's are a
remake of its predecessors. True to a point, but the claim to RPG's *is*
the storylines, and the ability to "play out" these stories using
familiar gameplay structures that can be carried over from one game to
the other. It's like reading books. You might complain that the writing
is different, but its frivolous. It's the story that matters and how
involving it is that really matters.
        FFT is a strategic role-playing game. It has all the elements
that make a great RPG; excellent characters, excellent storyline, all
within a familiar game design. It may be unfamiliar to you because
you're not fond or familiar with grid-style strategic RPG's, but for
those of us who enjoy these games just as much as traditional
menu-driven RPG's, we are well at home with the gameplay, and can easily
see the fullness of the Final Fantasy world within the game.
        Everything is still there; the great characters, the excellent
storyline, the familiar ingredients that make up the game. RPG's will
always copy ingredients of success from one another. And I for one am
quite happy about it. Fans of RPG's are "at home" with the game designs
and structures just like fans of racers, platformers, shooters,
fighters, what-have-you. There are certain elements of gameplay that are
at the core of any game category.
        Arguing that "it is all the same" just means that you don't get
it. That is not the point of the game. The point of any RPG is just what
the name entails; role-playing characters and becoming part of their
story. If anything FFT helps to widen the Final Fantasy universe by
combatting the "it is all the same" attitude.
-> All that Final Fantasy Tactics uses, is the NAMES of other Final
-> Fantasy games.. but apart from that? The game is nothing like the
-> Final Fantasy Series..
        I honestly don't believe that you've played the game, or you
would know just how wrong you were. Everything is completely structured
within the Final Fantasy game mechanics as I so readily pointed out
before - which you so readily ignored. There are many, many elements to
the game which are uniquely Final Fantasy, which would be readily
obvious to anyone who actually played the game along with any of it's
more traditional menu-based predecessors.
        For me, even the reasons why I disliked certain classes are
carried over in FFT, like the Lancers with their unpredictable Jump
attacks, and the Summoners with their horrendous magic costs.
-> The way you walk around the map..
        ...Is standard strategic grid-style RPG design; much like the
Shining Force series, Vandal Hearts, Mystaria, Guardian Wars, ect. Which
when got right down to it is not so different from traditional RPG's;
you have your towns and the open places between them for random
encounters...
-> No Airship...
        If you played it then you would know about the conditions of the
airships from Mustadio...
-> You have less freedom on the map then on ALL the FFs..
        Actually you have *more* freedom of movement, unless you like
the idea of walking a little icon around a world map...but it does
nothing for the game. In FFT every battle requires you to move your
people around for positioning. Things like elevation, terrain, weather,
man-made/natural structures, movement abilities, weapon/spell distances,
and positioning all come into play.
-> What do you mean you have to Salvage the Highwind??
        One of the propositions reveals the discovery of the sunken
Highwind and the salvaging efforts thereof.
-> Again.. Can you use a Chocobo on the Map? Can you walk freely on the
-> Map to where ever you want?
        Yes, and yes. You can ride Chocobo's in battle, and you are free
to visit (usually) any part of the map that you have previously cleared
- which is required if you wish to discover new propositions and special
"event" random encounters or subquests.
-> remember well, FF Mystic Quest didn't have a new fighting engine
-> cause it was called "Mystic" Quest... It also has some characters
-> that come back from the
        Mystic Quest was an attempt to create an introductory RPG to
first-time RPG players...which is clearly stated right on the box.
--- PCBoard (R) v15.22/M 2
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