Product Description

Return to Ivalice in the latest instalment of the legendary FINAL FANTASY TACTICS series. Summer vacation has begun for all but one unlucky student. Alone in the school library, Luso solemnly toils away the punishment his mischief has brought him. It is there that he finds a dusty, mysterious book. Opening it, he reads aloud the only text it contains: One is fated to fill these barren pages. Know you his name? Scrawling his name onto the next blank page, Luso unwittingly begins the first chapter of an adventure all his own.

• Tactics A2 brings more than 50 job classes to the player, enhancing one of the FINAL FANTASY series most distinctive features
• All-new content and enhancements, including polished game mechanics, new jobs, new races and a new clan system that enrich the Ivalice experience for fans and newcomers alike
• The North American release will allow players to command characters in battle and navigate through menus all with a tap of the stylus
• Witness vibrant and colorful visuals in dual-screen presentation, made possible by Nintendo DS
• Increased replay value with up to 400 available quests, allowing players to immerse themselves in a multi-faceted storyline
  
  

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4528 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Square Enix
• Released on: 2008-06-27
• Platform: Nintendo DS

Square Enix
Features:

•Enjoy turn-based, tactical battles on 3D maps set in the hugely popular universe of FINAL FANTASY

•Amazing graphics with quality of special effects not seen in any other Nintendo DS game!

•Absolute variety and customisation is offered through over 50 available jobs – more than any other FINAL FANTASY game!

•Over 300 missions and side quests assure long lasting play

•Renewed Judge Law System that rewards players for upholding the law with battle bonuses

•Dominate over competing clans by gaining territory in the unique Area Auction System

•Includes additional touchscreen functionality not included in the original Japanese version

Customer Reviews

This Is How You Do It!
After a slew of unsucessful and just downright bland Tactical RPGs for the DS have been released, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is a cut above the rest. You play as Luso a mischievous boy who accidently gets sucked into the world of Invalice via a magical tome found in his schools library.He meets a whole host of weird and wonderful characters like the feisty yet mysterious girl Adelle and the cute,wandering troubadour Hurdy.While the games main story may fall a little short it definitely makes up for with various side-quest, known as jobs. Jobs are very much like the first Tactics Advance game a main objective with a judge law to uphold which some of them are easy to stick to like not using items or the more trickier ones like only being able to attack under 50 attack points or having to move 3 spaces at a time, while admitted like grow frustrating and tedious the game doesnt disappoint. Character classes are a big deal in the game while there are quite a few default classes alot of the more colourful classes are acquired by completing certain jobs such as the moogles Chocobo Knight or the Humes Yojimo (which is like a bodyguard). Another great addition is the Bazaar which is located at the shop, while only a few basic weapons are available certain items such as vines,a fire crystal will give you something like a bow which as a skill attributed to it. As a fan of the series I'm very impressed with it, and it's one of, if not my favourite DS game so far.

Graphics: 10/10

Story: 8/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Extras: 7/10

Turn based tactics at its best
If you like turn based tactics games this is the one for you! Immersive gameplay, lots of jobs (classes) and sheer endless tactical possibilities and depth. Don't expect a deep story, expect very varied fights, some (especially in the first part of the game) rather easy, but some quite difficult. As you can change between jobs and have two different sets of skills there are numerous ways you can approach each tactical situation. Smart combination of your skills will be rewarded and the "Law" system* adds to the alure, as it keeps you from constantly using the same tactics and characters. Two difficulty settings add to the already good value for your money.

In short, there is no better turn based tactics game for the DS. Period.

*for each battle there is a certain restriction (like: no using fire, or no blunt weapons). You can still win the battle, even if you break the law, but you will miss out on some bonus loot.

A deep and charming experience that will provide you with hours upon hours of strategical goodness
Final Fantasy Tactics has always appealed to those gamers who were looking for a FF game with a little extra kick, and let me tell you... this game has it in spades!

It begins with the same typical story, ripped straight from it's predecessor. Luso, a young boy, gets sucked into a magical book called a grimoire, and finds himself in the peculiar land of Ivalice. I'll spare you the torture of the the subsequent happenings, but it's all textbook fantasy from there on.

Luckily for me, and most other players, the story is not where this games strengths lie and is most definitely not the reason I bought it. Unlike other FF games, tactics relies heavily on what it's title would suggest and requires the player to do much more than simply hack n' blast through the enemies. You are given the choice to play as a selection of races (7 in total) with each having a variety of jobs available to them. You can spend hours upon hours just tweaking your party to your liking, or to the current tasks requirement. Each job, as you would have guessed, excels in a different area and it's finding the right balance that is the key to winning. Players can also choose a sub job too, which adds another layer of depth.

To some extent, the races also have their own strategical value too. Gria for instance can fly, and therefore bypass having to climb or being surrounded, while Moogles and Nu Mou cannot enter water so you have to keep all of this in mind. While it is true that a few of the jobs are somewhat pointless or a little silly, for the most part TA2 does a very good job at giving the player as much choice as they could possibly want, and it's this that makes the true strategy RPG fans feel right at home. You choose your race, your jobs, your weapons, your abilities, which quests you do and don't want to do... there are a lot of options and chances to micromanage and it's all offered to you in a very crisp and functional way.

Now, it obviously isn't all as simple as it sounds. During battle you will have to keep many factors in mind. Each unit can move a certain amount of spaces per turn and this is determined part by job and part by equipment. You also have weaknesses and resistances to take into consideration, as well as many other details such as counter abilities, positioning and most importantly the rules. Players of the first GBA title will be no stranger to the judge, except that in this game if you break the law you simply loose your clan privilege and the ability to revive deceased members or obtaining the special item after the match.

Along the way you can pick up new recruits, including some familiar faces as well as compete in auction houses for control of the land. This and many other pace breakers help do exactly that and keep the game interesting and running smoothly.
This and the main story missions which are usually accompanied with mini cut scenes and dialogue. It's nothing majorly interesting but it's enough to hold your attention and give your battles minor purpose.

The game lasts 50 hours plus depending on how many of the quests you wish to accomplish. Completists will find 100 hours plus easily and even more if you want to try your hand at all the available jobs etc... I'm under no illusions that this games is perfect, it's far from it but it builds upon the already brilliant formula and what it produces is a game that is fun, addictive and intricately designed. For all it's flaws it has many areas in which it excels and as far as handheld games go this is a winner. If your looking for something to eat away at your time and to make your mind ticker away then this is your game.