"Beautifully complex and highly expressive"

Background and Story:

‘Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions' is a semi-port of the Playstation original made back in 1997. You follow the story of Ramza, a young noble, as he tries to right all that is wrong in a world complicated by political and religious agenda. You'll meet a wealth of rich characters, many who have the potential to become major assets in your fighting force and all of whom develop as the story progresses. You'll find yourself becoming emotionally attached to the narrative from early on and it only gets better and better as the gravity of the real situation dawns upon you.

Not much has changed from the Playstation original with the exception of animated cut scenes now being present at key points in the game. You'll be happy to know that, unlike the Japanese version, here in the west they are all voice acted. Another welcome change is the new translation of the original script. Some character names have been changed but, for the most part, they resemble the originals (‘Algus' becomes ‘Argath' and so on). Of importance to note is that the script has been written in ye olde English, something that adds realism and has an air of sophistication about it. So, when you see ‘sir' being written as ‘ser' worry not, it's supposed to be that way.

New Features:

You'll be happy to know that Final Fantasy Tactics now has multiplayer. You can play competitively over a generous choice of maps or cooperatively through a set of roughly fifteen missions that become unlocked as the single player story progresses. Take note that you can only play via ad hoc, there is no internet play unless you use third party tools such as Xlink Kai. In keeping with the theme of the game, you initiate multiplayer by heading to any tavern in-game. Choosing ‘coliseum' will initiate a versus battle with a friend. You have many options to choose from here, some of which include disallowing calculator abilities and special additions such as power struggles when physically attacking from the front. You're able pit up to five of your team against your opponent and before the battle starts you'll both have a chance to review the rules and confirm that they are to your liking, as well as review the trap placement (should you have it enabled).

Cooperative missions fit in well with the theme of the game and are a welcome addition as rather than the employer seeking only one party, he seeks two. You and a friend each assign up to three characters for the battle and then after a brief narrative, get to business.

Graphics - 7/10

All visuals are exactly the same as they were in the Playstation original, 3D battlefields with 2D character sprites, nothing overly complex for the year 2007. Even the character sprites maintain the same resolution they had in the Playstation version. Sadly however, there is noticeable slow down when initiating special moves due to poor handling of the 3D particle effects. This quickly becomes negligible as you soon become accustomed to it. While unwelcome at first, it is not game breaking.

Sounds - 10/10

Beautifully orchestrated music plays throughout the course of the game and you may well find yourself picking up the original soundtrack. It adds to the immersion and theme of the game perfectly. Sound effects have also been chosen carefully and are not a disappointment.

Gameplay - 10/10

Being a strategy RPG, Final Fantasy Tactics has always been different. In this genre however, it is hailed as being one of the best of its kind (and justifiably so). The game is turn-based and you'll be doing a lot of planning from early on. There are a variety of job classes to choose from and the PSP version has added a few more. The game emphasizes strategy over having a high level as unless you understand the workings of each class, to at least a small extent, you will be constantly surprised at what each has up its sleeve. If you're new to the game, it's likely that you may do most of your learning by trial and error. When you see how big of an impact that even a small change in planning can make to the battle itself, you'll be delighted at your ingenuity. Beautifully complex and highly expressive.

Conclusion:

While the port is not original in any sense of the word, Final Fantasy Tactics is a classic that didn't get the attention it deserves until now. The PSP version brings the joy of FFT to a higher profile audience and does not disappoint. If you have the luxury or being able to play with a friend, the game becomes even more detailed as you try to outwit a human opponent with the never ending choices that come with party composition and skill point distribution.

A true gem.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/03/07

Game Release: Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou (JP, 05/10/07)