On Screen / Aimee Green

Video game review: 'Final Fantasy' games keep the DS running

By Aimee Green | Friday, August 29, 2008 | () comments

In "Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift," the battles are on the bottom screen, while useful information is on the top screen. (SQUARE ENIX) Buy this Photo

My DS has been perpetually charging the past few weeks, and it’s all because of one game: “Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.”

I recently wrote that the “Civilization” series could draw me in for hours. That was nothing compared with how “Tactics A2” has grabbed my attention.

I cannot put it down. It’s the perfect mix of a role-playing game’s leveling system and the tactical battles of a strategy game.

“Tactics A2” is the story of a boy who gets sucked into an alternate world through a book. It’s nearly identical to the plot of the original “Final Fantasy Tactics Advance” on the Game Boy Advance, but I don’t care. “Tactics A2” isn’t so much about the story as it is about the addictive nature of the gameplay.

Each character has a number of jobs he or she can tackle, such as warrior or soldier, or a black mage or elementalist. Jobs can be changed at any time outside of battle, although only the current job benefits from a fight and higher-class jobs must be unlocked.

Each job type can use only certain gear and weapons. The gear, meanwhile, has its own abilities — such as a type of attack or a stat boost — that can be learned. Once a character has mastered an ability by earning points toward it in battle, he or she can use it even with another job type.

“Tactics A2” presents a tantalizing loop of unlocking jobs, mastering abilities, using items dropped in battle to create new gear and switching the jobs back in order to master the newly acquired abilities.

Battles come in the form of quests picked up at pubs. Once a quest is accepted, it appears on the map and a player can move to it and enter the fight.

At the beginning of the fight, the player can choose a clan “privilege” for that battle, such as boosting clan members’ attack power or speeding up their turns.

Each fight is watched over by a judge, who gives a rule before the battle begins. These rules dictate actions that are forbidden, such as using a fire attack or targeting distant enemies.

If you break the rule, you can’t revive fallen clan members, you lose your clan privilege and you don’t get bonus items at the end of battle. Some of the rules can turn what would be a straightforward fight into a complex battle requiring lots of strategy.

There are hundreds of quests to complete, and most of them are repeatable. Dozens of clan members can be recruited and trained. There also are auctions to bid for control over territories.

It’s a massive number of things to do, all crammed into the tiny DS cartridge. I’ve been playing nonstop for two weeks, and I’ll probably continue for another two weeks.

DS owners should buy “Tactics A2.” It’s that simple.

‘Final Fantasy IV’

Square Enix has been doing a lot of re-releasing lately. Sometimes the new game is a basic remake; sometimes it’s completely redone.

The latest version of “Final Fantasy IV” does a lot — and makes it worth playing again, even for those who played the Game Boy Advance remake a few years ago (“FFIV” started its life on the Super Nintendo as “Final Fantasy II”).

The DS version of “FFIV” has been completely restyled. Old-school, two-dimensional characters are replaced with new 3-D ones, and story cutscenes are redone.

It’s still the same story — dark knight Cecil tries to stop his former king from taking over the world — and the gameplay is still turn-based. The top screen shows the battle while the bottom screen is where you select each character’s actions.

The best addition is maps for the game’s dungeons. Previously, players would wander aimlessly around a 2-D dungeon, trying to find treasure chests and exits, all while being hit with random battles every three steps. Now, the bottom screen shows a map that reveals itself as you wander around while your characters run through a 3-D environment on the top screen.

The map makes the dungeons much less aggravating. Even better, if you manage to uncover 100 percent of the map, you get a prize! Square Enix knows the way to my heart.

Other notable additions: A new trainable summon for Rydia, an auto-battle option for the easier fights and abilities called augments that let characters learn skills they previously could not.

“Final Fantasy IV” on the DS is the same story, yes, but it has a lot of changes and a great visual upgrade. It’s worth trying again — especially if the last time you played it was on the Super Nintendo.

Scorecard

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Square Enix, for DS

Rated: Everyone 10+

Cost: $39.99

Score: 9/10

Final Fantasy IV

Square Enix, for DS

Rated: Everyone 10+

Cost: $39.99

Score: 8.5/10

Scores based on an evaluation of gameplay (4 points), visuals (2), sound (2) and replayability/value (2).

Aimee Green can be contacted at (402) 473-7326 or Aimee.Green@lee.net. The Lincoln Journal Star is a Lee Enterprises newspaper.