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Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Genre: Strategy RPG
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Platform: Nintendo DS
Reviewer: Eric
 Final Fantasy Tactics was the best game on the Playstation when it came out
in 1998. To this date the game is still a classic. Later on we got to see Final
Fantasy Tactics Advance and a directors cut of the original game (Final Fantasy
Tactics) on the PSP. When it came time to do a sequel for the GBA game, Square
Enix went ahead and created one on the Nintendo DS.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was a deep turn based strategy game. The game
seemed never ending, lasting well over the 100 hour mark. Some gamers were
turned away by the story’s content and the Judge system. I hate to be the one
that says this, but both of these negative things are back in the sequel.
Just because most people hated this factors does not mean I hated it. Final
Fantasy Tactics A2 follows the story of a young boy that has to stay after
school. Instead of being able to spend time with his friends on there summer
vacation, he has to go to the library and help with some cleaning.
When the young boy stumbles upon a book he is magically in the world of Final
Fantasy. His adventure is rough from the start, but with some new friends he is
able to adventure into this world and try to find his way home.
Tactics A2 has a similar story to the first game. Instead of starting out with
children harassing your main character and his friends, you just have to help
with cleaning. For a game that is trying to keep things on the clean side with
the story, the gameplay is far to advance for normal gamers.
Out of all the DS games out now this one looks the best. You don’t always need
3-D graphics, the Nintendo DS can do this, but we all know that the PSP is
better for that sort of thing. In here you get updated graphics and beautiful
colorization. Some of the familiar faces from the old game may look new, simply
because they look so much better.
Instead of following a set pace, this game has the main story and a bunch of
quests you can pick up in the pub. The amount of side quests and single quests
are so wide, it makes the first game look like there was an ending at the twenty
hour mark. Even though the story seems like it is for children it still has a
charm to it.
The job system is back, along with the skills you learn. Again things are much
bigger this time around. You could spend hours upon hours trying to learn
everything in this game. I was always a fan of the Final Fantasy when they had
you learning skills from your equipment. To me this gives you much more gameplay,
which gives you more game time.
 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was known for the Judge system. It wasn’t anything
to brag about, but it did add challenge to the game. A2 brings back this system,
but this time it does not seem to be as bad.
When you break the law the Judge will take away your bonuses at the end of the
battle and your characters can’t be revived if they die. As long as you don’t
suck (sorry I had to say it) you will never have a problem. Thankfully you can
always view the laws on the top of the screen; you don’t need to hit a sequence
of buttons to find out the laws.
Another new thing in this game is the clan levels (broken up into different
categories) and the bazaar. Bazaar lets you exchange materials you find in
battle and from completing quests. With these items you can create new items,
most of which are much more powerful towards the end of the game.
Fans of the first game will also be glad to hear that the multiplayer options
are still here. Everything that was in the fist one is back, making this game
one of the best multiplayer experiences on the Nintendo DS.
Final Verdict
I am pretty damn sure I missed some things about this game, but it doesn’t
matter. A2 is the best experience on the Nintendo DS right now. The $39.99 price
tag may make some gamers question a purchase. Guess what, this game should cost
more with everything you get.
Get ready for endless gameplay and a fantastic Final Fantasy story. If you own a
Nintendo DS then you have to buy this game right now. I really do think my
perfect rating is well deserved.
Rating
10 out of 10
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift Trailer
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