Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

""God Stone bearer, with me you must treat." Oh ho ho, treat we SHALL!"

10/10 - Flawless - Perfect on every level, couldn't be any better.

Just kidding.
20/10 - PERFECT - The Ultimate Game

Disagree with me? MADNESS! THIS...IS...IVALICE!

Back in 1997 a wonderful SRPG was released for the PlayStation, around the time of Final Fantasy VII. The game bore the name: Final Fantasy Tactics, a spinoff from the main series diving into the strategy and tactics of classic turn based RPGs. Square knew they were sitting a gold mine, because even then the game was nearly perfect, aside from wacky translation flaws. But guess what? Ten years later, Square Enix, now with Final Fantasy 20 years the elder it was, re released FFT in the form of a portable ported remake release, and it's called Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.

Let's start with the Graphics:
Although the original sprites are unchanged from the PSX era game, being this a SRPG, the graphics don't really need to be evolved or altered; they looked perfect on the PSX and they look perfect now on the PSP. Except, this time 'round, SE treated fans of the original game with a all new in-game FMV's, drawn beautifully in an anime style and colored with yellows and browns to apply a classical, older atmosphere. Needless to say (but still said), it works. The FMV's are gorgeous, and although there aren't a huge amount, they're fairly long and detailed to the greatest degree.
Graphics score: 10/10

Moving on to the Sound:
FF is known for producing excellent musical scores to accompany their games, and FFT:WotL is no slouch here either. Most of the songs are battle themes, and the ones that aren't truly give you a sense of what a King or Queen in the Victorian era may have been listening to, with a full band playing behind them. Some of the sound effects can be overlooked as being bad, but as this is a ported game and not a remake, I truly believe they left them the way they were because they worked then as they work now. Besides, if there is any lacking in FFT:WotL due to what some may consider "bad" effects, they are completely overshadowed by the aforementioned FMV's which come fully packed with the voices for the main characters! ...I always wanted to know what Ramza, Agrias, and Mustadio sounded like, and SE delivered.
Sound: 10/10

Now for the Gameplay:
So, you've played games like Fire Emblem and Ogre Tactics: The Knight of Lodis, correct? Let's put it this way: Both of those games have the Speed stat for characters, BUT, in those games, your characters act as a single team. Do you not feel as though that takes away from the "turn based" aspect of a Turn Based SRPG? No, not entirely. However, in FFT:WotL, your characters will act when their CT(Charge Time) is at 100. Much like other FF's ATB system, your Speed affects how fast your turn, or the CT, comes. In this I find a distinction between FFT:WotL and other SRPG's, and it's a good distinction. I won't go into the customization that's available in FFT, from creating a White Mage with the power to Break Equipment while Teleporting, or a bare handed Ninja that can steal experience from enemy units, but let's say this: the possibilities are near endless, and that in itself is an incredible aspect of this game which adds a great amount of flat out FUN.
Gameplay: 10/10

THE STORY:
The original FFT had a great story, no doubt there. And it's unchanged in this version of the game. Except for the fact they revamped the translation! I feel like I'm reading a Shakespearean play reading the dialogue of this game, and its meshes flawlessly with the time period of the game, fuse that with the medieval warring Kingdoms setting and you've got a game with a script and an unyielding story that transports you to a time you can only imagine. Furthermore, every intelligent person loves a great twist, and I know true fans of this game will agree with me: The ending is the saddest, yet happiest, most bittersweet and enthralling sequence you could ever hope for in a game. Is he alive, or is he just a passing by ghost? Way to go SE.
Story: 10/10

Replayability:
I've never stopped playing my first save, thanks to a nifty trick called a Delevel Trap. The possibilities are endless... I should mention back in the PSX days, I had one save where I finished the game with Ramza at age 56. Oh ho ho....
Replayability: 10/10

OVERALL: 10/10
I feel like I can't put this game down long enough to think about anything other than a medieval struggle between a group of Jumping Gunmen... it pulls you in, draws on the seams of your spirit, and eventually makes you obsessed with it. It's like a the girlfriend you hate to love, but love SOOOOOOOOOOO much.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/09

Game Release: Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (Greatest Hits) (US, September 2008)