Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Game Boy Advance, 2003)

I had never played Final Fantasy until a couple of years ago and I am saddened that I had missed out on it until then! I owned a Super Nintendo when I was little but always played the Mario games and never tried these. I highly recommend you play it and own it but I will warn you it's very addicting!

First off, this game is not what youd immediately believe a game with the label Final Fantasy on it to be. This is a re-release of the version that came out on PSone also called Final Fantasy tactics. It's different in many ways from other Final Fantasy games, which for the most part have held a more traditional RPG aspect to them.

The main difference here is that this game tends to focus itself much more heavily on the strategy and planning of moves aspects, and less so on the story element and character development. Fans of other games in this series should be aware of that going into this game that there are such differences, and those expecting a typical Final Fantasy game will be surprised and may leave playing this game a little less satisfied with the experience, which in of its own right as a game is a worthy purchase, but it you like the elements of the more traditional RPG's of the Final Fantasy series, this may not be the game for you.

However, anyone who does consider themselves fans of the strategy genre and don't mind the not so plot driven gameplay, somewhat repetitive and drawn out nature of this game and are willing to dive into a seemingly overwhelmingly deep combat schematic and lack of much development as far as the inner workings of the party members, then who's to say you won't enjoy this game. Again, just take what the intent of the game to those who play it into consideration. Those familiar with the series in general may wish to borrow a friend's copy or rent it if possible before investing the full asking price of the game.

Again this is not to say this is not a great game by any means, as what is there is done well, it does meet standards of the Final Fantasy label, with nice graphics, sound, and well done playability, all taking into consideration the platform its on and the type of game this is. Some may see the 4/5 rating I'm giving this too high, and some too low, but here's ultimately how I came about it: on its own as far as this game goes, it really isn't that bad, but the expectation most players have for a game with the name Final Fantasy attached to it just doesn't seem to be met by this game, especially when you consider the other great games released in this series.

Final Fantasy Tactics was a challenging game - every battle was long, and you had to really strategize in order to win. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is about ten times less challenging, which is a great thing if you are a kid or new to the series. While being less challenging, the game is more fun than its predecessor, and new races and classes were added with more skills than before. The Law System adds an extra twist to it, which some players will either love or hate.

The only complaints I have about this game are the Judge Points. When you kill something with a preferred weapon, I think you should get one Judge Point per credit. If you kill five people with a Totema, you only get one JP instead of the five you should get. Aside from that, the game is pretty solid. Albeit the script is messy at the ending, this is an overall good game for anyone starting out. If you are a veteran of the series and want something challenging, you should probably look somewhere else.

Last time I checked, I'd clocked in a bit over 25 hours on Final Fantasy Tactics, and so far, the end doesn't seem in sight. For people who want a quick game, this isn't the one. But if you're prepared to slog it out for the long haul, this is a game for you.

For me, the best part of the game is the job system. Each of the five races has their own job wheel, making your characters infinitely customizable. By building up enough skills in lower classes, higher classes become available on the job wheel. This is also highly customizable, since skills are learned from the weapons you equip characters, and not from experience. Characters can use skills from two separate jobs at once. Sometimes it's more obvious. With Snipers and Hunters you'll generally want to hold on to your archer skills, but other times there's much more freedom involved. Thief skills, for instance, are relatively unhelpful, save for reactionary skills such as counter and maintenance. Your characters can use the same reactionary skills no matter what job you give them.

The storyline is decent, but occasionally I find that the cut-scenes go on long and I wish I could just go back out and kill monsters. For instance, the first cut-scene where the town of Ivalice becomes the world of Final Fantasy seems to last for about five minutes. The storyline is also slightly too self-referential: you are trapped in the world of Final Fantasy... eh. Still, the characters are, on the whole, strong. Also, the story builds well into the actual game play, and the engagements that are story related are almost always fantastic.

The law system is, I'm pretty sure, intentionally annoying. It's mandated by the story that as the game goes on, more activities per battle become illegal -- I've just gotten to a battle where I'm facing only animals and they've told me it's illegal to damage animals.

Engagements are fun. There are two basic types of engagements: missions and clan battles. Missions are bought at any town, you pay for the information and then you travel to where that mission is. Most of your income is going to come from this. Clan battles start pretty early in the game. Basically, your clan is just one of a large number of clans out there in the world of Ivalice, and as you go around the map, other clans are too. You see them going around the map, so it's never a surprise when you bump into them. I often find myself chasing after other clans. Generally, the rewards for these battles are lower than for missions, still, with an enormous group at your disposal, it's always good to have enemies your lower classed characters can fight.

The only things that consistently annoy me through the game are dispatch missions, which so far I have not been able to make rhyme or reason of why some fail and some succeed. Still, it's a small price to pay.

Final Fantasy Tactics is a great buy. It'll keep you for probably a whole summer and keep you entertained. Though the storyline is not quite up to par with some of the rest of the Final Fantasy franchise, the game play makes up for it in spades. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys video games.

4.5/5

I was really disappointed with this title. I am one of those guys who played and LOVED the original final fantasy tactics on PSone. When I played the Gameboy version, it felt like a completely different game. The battle system proved very slow and draggy, the story and game flow is also slow and boring, character development is weak, and I hate how learning skills is through the weapons. I don't know, I guess this isnt my kind of style of game.

Once you get the games story moving, it's very hard to put this down. I'll be honest, it was around 56 minutes before I got to fight an actual battle, not one from a tuteral. Now I'v logged 22+ hours with 68 missions cleared. Has a very amusing story twist and plot. A deffinet pick up game for under 15 bucks if you see one

This game is fun to play but can get reppetitive fighing the same scenes over and over again.overall I think it's a cool game but you have to be willing to put in many many hours to get to the good stuff.

I have played a lot of GBA games. If you are a strategy fan there is nothing better out there. This is on the level of Advanced Wars and the other greats!
I have played this all the way through 3 or 4 times and it's still a game I come back to.
Highly recommended. Don't be fooled by the cutsey characters. This is solid FFT action through and through. Deep immersive story, characters and strategy. Beautiful spell effects and addictive gameplay!

The Final Fantasy Series itself is great. My all-time favorite and number ONE series of the game will forever be Final Fantasy 7. That is my favorite. But the Final Fantasy Tactics Game is pretty awesome as well. The first Tactics game I played was the one on the Playstation. I honestly didn't think it was gonna be any good. I wasn't to happy to find out I wouldn't be running around places and into people's houses and buildings. Boy was I wrong. I really enjoyed it. So when I found out there was another version of the Tactics Game I just had to get it. I like the Job Feature. It's pretty cool that you can change your character's abilities.

If you are one of those people who kind of get freaked out when playing games that involve shooting, driving, or running around, (like me) then this is really a good game for you.

I have played and beat this game multiple times already and I still think it's entertaining. Maybe it's the fact that I like that I don't have to sit on the edge of my seat staring at the television screen or I don't have a racing heart if a vicious looking monstor is coming after me. Maybe both! Who knows. But to get to my point, this game, even though not completely action packed, is still very fun and the storyline is great. Not only that but the characters are adorable! Even the monsters!

Also, if there's a long car ride, this is a good time waster. Each battle can take up to 30 minutes tops. In general it's a good time killer. But beware action cravers, this will make you fall asleep in a HEART BEAT.

Have fun!

I love the fact that you don't have to wait(it's instant!) to summon or do specials like in the psp tactics! But I hate the fact that any move is almost guaranteed to miss when attacking from the front!

It is excellent. My daughter would like to purchase it for her. Actually, since I do not do game, I have no idea about gamer. However, my girl likes to have it and play it. As a result, she loves it. thanks.

The game got here in record time. I tested it and everything worked perfectly. Nothing but great things from this seller. Thank you very much.

i love this game alot but one day some kid stole it from my house then i wanted to buy another one so i can replace my old one

This game is worth every penny you'll spend on it. Nicely paced with fun at each twist of the game. Hghly recommended especially for the elementary school kids! Look up the internet for info on cheats/tricks.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is one of my favorite games on the market. I actually owned a previous copy and completed the game, but soon misplaced it. After about a year of seaching i gave up my search and looked to find a new copy on ebay. The game is so great that i was willing to buy it even after i had beat it once.

I am an RPG-game nut, and this is one of the better turn-based rpg games out there. What really got me is the storyline, espeicaly the ending.

If you are a lover of Final fantasy, Turn-based RPGs, and a great story filled with magic, monsters, and unseen worlds, this is the game for you.

Awesome story line. Beautiful summons. Very addicting. The judges and law system can get on your nerves fairly quickly. But overall a great game, and a satisfying purchase.

The job system is a bit primitive feeling and clunky, but the game overall is pretty good. It's not nearly as epic or fun as the original tactics but for a portable game it's cute, fun and entertaining and gives a good feel developed in the original tactics game. Here's hoping they bring out a new one for the PS3 or the like!!

i've played this game many times before, and the replay value never decreases. the story is a little on the week side, but the game play more than makes up for it.

The game dident arrived i feel depresed the seller hasent responded my messages i need to contact her Thank you

What makes final fantasy tactic advance so good is its level of customization to your team.Five different races.Multiple jobs for your clan members(jobs such as thief, black mage,white monk,ninja,sniper,paladin,alchemist,fighter, and more!!!)clan members can be tought different skills and magic.graphics are vivid in color.Game is challenging and offers 45+ hours of tactical battling and story and missions.long time final fantasy gamers will be satisfied with this games battles.

But this game does have its own pot of annoyances.For example to learn skills and magic you need AP.You get ap after battles and missions. (skills and magic require 1oo-300 AP to officially own) After battles you obtain 40-70 AP.So gaining enough AP can take awhile and slows the process of customizing your teammates.This games battles are sometimes a little long.

The games story mode is easy to follow and overall is a good story.Final Fantasy Tactics for the Game Boy Advance is a great game and is one for rpg veterans!

good price and fast shipping highly recommended i would buy from this person again and the product was received in great condition thanks

I bought it to my 13 years old son,
His comments were:
I bought it because I like strategy RPGs (role-playing games) and I'm curious about the final Fantasy series
I like the unique battle system and character variety
I don't really have any dislikes

I like it because it is a turn based rpg. I bought it because my other copy got stolen and i needed to replace it. :)