PSP//Review// Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

I will start off by saying that FFTWOTL is quite a remarkable game. It is good to see many things changed with this old classic. Change is sometimes good and it definitely shows here. The re-written script is very archaic in it's dialogue, but it never feels too out of place. Especially when compared to it's predecessor on the PS1, the script is above and beyond what anyone could ask for. I also enjoyed to see that they added two new jobs, Onion Knight and Dark Knight. They've also included a few new characters to the bunch. Balthier, the silver tongued sky pirate from FFXII; and Luso, the naive game hunter from FFTA2. Both of them making their tactical debut in this game. Finally, the added CGI cel-shaded cutscenes are phenomenal. They really add to the flavor with Yoshida-san's prowess. Not to mention the North American version features voice acting in which the Japanese version did not. Don't worry though, the voiceovers are actually good.




The gameplay is same old Tactics, and I mean that in a good way. Of course there are a few new jobs that come along with the new characters that I mentioned earlier. But, with all these new upgrades to the game, it has seemingly made a slowdown issue in battle. Whenever a spell is cast or a special attack is performed, the animation moves at a relatively 3/4 speed until it is done being executed. It is a minor annoyance, but one that should be addressed. Newcomers may not even notice it that much, but veterans may find it obstrusive to gameplay.

The story is retold in all it's awesomeness (I know, that's not a word). You still have the friendship that goes askew, government schemes, backstabbing, religious persecution etc. The great thing about this port though is that it's actually all comprehensible. At the same time, it's funny to think all this is going on and is being represented by cutesy sprite characters. It is in that way that makes this game a legend in the tactical genre. It transcended what people thought of "Tactical RPG" more than 10 years ago, and does the same today. The only difference is that now it is actually a better game.

Gameplay-------[10]
Presentation---[8.5]
Audio------------[8]
Longevity-------[10]

OVERALL--------[9.2/10]

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