Better Late Than Never

Well everybody, it took a long time but it finally happened. I finished Final Fantasy XII. It took me a surprisingly long time to finish this game but I did so I thought I would post a mini review for it. I've created a format that I intend to use for these reviews that will allow me to keep it short and to the point for the purposes of this blog. So, I present to you my first official "mini-review" of Final Fantasy XII:

Story: This is the category that dropped the games quality a couple notches in my opinion. Previous Final Fantasies have been relatively easy to follow and understand while still managing to keep it deep and interesting. In XII, the characters are not that memorable and the overall story is very complicated and bogged down with political mumbo jumbo. It still retains the depth and maturity as its predecessors, however it simply stumbles a bit as it tries to keep it interesting. (I will go more into depth in an upcoming Final Fantasy XII podcast)
Music: The music has always been memorable in Final Fantasy games and this title is no different. The composition is excellent and the atmosphere that it creates, fits the game perfectly. My only complaint is that not many of the tunes stand out. If you were to ask me what my favorite tune is from Final Fantasy IX, I would tell you the "South Gate Theme" or "Over the Hill" but there was no specific song that stood out to me in Final Fantasy XII.
Gameplay: This is hands down, the strongest aspect of XII. The new free roaming, non random battle system is flawless in my opinion. Getting rid of random battles was strange to me at first but this game has simply made a believer out of me. The Licence Point system works a little bit like the Sphere Grid system from Final Fantasy X but improves on it a bit. In addition to earning exp, players earn Licence Points which can be used to buy each characters the right to use magick and weapons. The core FF gameplay remains intact with its heavy emphasis on exploration and side quests. No complaints there.
Graphics/Design: This game shines as one of the prettiest games on the PS2 and rivals some early next gen titles in terms of the level of detail. My only complaint is that I dont think the world is quite as diverse as the worlds in previous titles. Don't get me wrong though, the world is a blast to explore and it all looks amazing. Character models look fantastic and all are quite realistic. (I would also like to add that Square Enix has once again set the standard for quality voice acting).
Overall: While Final Fantasy XII is probably my least favorite 3-D FF, it still holds a special place on my shelf. It may be a little bit flawed, but it accomplishes what all FF's set out to do: tell an intriguing story with a fun and nearly flawless presentation.