Overall: 9.9. Final Fantasy Tactics is a polarizing game. While is it regarded by critics as being one of the best PS1 games, it is viewed by some as the black sheet of the Final Fantasy Series. You need to realize that this game isn't like the rest of the FF universe. On it's face, it's not like them at all. However, if you give the game a chance, you'd start seeing so many reminders that this is part of one of the greatest video game series of all time. It has a different style but it's such a GREAT game. I've beaten about 2/3 of the FF games out there but Tactics is the only one that I've beaten more than twice. It's one of those games that just doesn't get old. It just sticks in your mind and and you think about it and say "aww man I haven't played that game in awhile, I need to give it another run".

This is a strategy RPG and for those who don't know what that means, it's nothing like other FF games. To enjoy this game, don't go into this thinking it's going to be the same experience as FF7 because it's not going to meet those expectations. The thing that a strategy game is all about is... wait for it... gasp! Strategy. Simply overpowering an enemy won't work most of the time and you need to use different tactics (pun intended) to overcome their strengths and expose their weaknesses. This takes a little bit of getting used to in the beginning but once you figure out what's going on, you'll be so immersed in the game that you'll feel like you're living there. This is such an awesome game!

I've recently played through the PSP port of Tactics and that is a fantastic addition. It includes a couple extra job classes and introduces cut scenes with voice acting. If you can get your hands on that, check it out in addition to the PS1 version. I've also played the GBA Tactics game and while I don't want to focus my review on bashing those games, they pale in comparison to the original Tactics. I've read some other reviews saying that they preferred the Advance games over the PS1 version and I'm not sure I understand it. I feel like the GBA games have no intriguing story or characters and you're just doing random mission after random mission. I've tried to like them and if I hadn't play FFT first, I might love them. But they just don't come close to matching what this game game has to offer.

Graphics: 8. The characters look good. The environments look good. But honestly, after playing Super Mario RPG in recent years, I think they could have been much better. If an SNES game in the isometric/grid view then a PS1 game should look GREAT. I don't want to criticize it too much because the graphics are really nice. Compared to the blocky characters of FF7, Tactics is fantastic! I love all the different environments that look vibrant and unique. The various jobs are distinguishable and fantastic. I would have liked to have some FMV cut scenes like in FF7 or voice acting like in PSP War of the Lions but it definitely doesn't take away from story at all.

Sound: 8. Just like the graphics, the sound is very good while not spectacular. To be fair, there aren't many games out there I'd give a rating higher than an 8. For these earlier games, the sound just isn't all that important to me. However, I do appreciate how the music in this game sets the mood based upon what's happening in the story. The sound effects during battle are satisfying and rock solid. It's very enjoyable to cast spells and attack the enemy.

Addictiveness: 10. Like I mentioned previously, I've played through this game several times. It's replayability is so high, it's crazy. Now, it does take some time getting used to the style. The learning curve can be a bit steep but if you stick with it and not get frustrated, it starts to get a little easier and more enjoyable. But once you're through the first Act, you're hooked. If you haven't made it to Act II then you can't accurately critique this game in my opinion. From that point on, you can't put the game down. Whether you're advancing the story or completing a side quest or even trying to master/unlock another job class, you're always wanting to do more with this game. Part of the addicting factor due to the job class system which I'll cover under the Depth section.

Story: 10. I don't even know where to start with this one. Literally, I can't because I don't fully understand the story evne though I've played through this game multiple times. It's not because it's poorly told or unnecessarily convoluted, it's just a complex tale full of interlocking characters and personalities. It has your typical FF plot twists where you are fighting one bad guy only to later realize it's another bad guy that's your true enemy. While this is a FF tried and true formula, Tactics executes it better than any other FF game. Seriously, it's fantastic. I think the mark of a good story is if you care about the characters. We all cared when Aries was killed off in FF7 didn't we? That made the story really good because we were connected with her. The same thing happens in Tactics. You care about Ramza and Delita and their strained friendship. You want to know what's Delita's true motive and what he's going to do next. That's how you know it's a good story and you're not just blowing through the dialogue to move on to the next battle. Because you don't have an open world to explore, the story and game does feel pretty linear. But at least you don't have the "where the hell do I go now?" feeling. Plus, backtracking isn't really much of a chore like in other RPGs.

Depth: 10. Here's where Tactics shines. As with any FF game, the amount of depth due to side quests, secret/ultimate weapons, secret characters is unmatched. Tactics has all of those things of course, but it's the Job System that takes this baby to an 11. The amount of customization possibilities are HUGE. Where FFV took the simple job system and improved upon it, Tactics perfected it. For those who are new, the job system works like this. There are several starter jobs which have different inherent abilities. For example, the chemist is good at using items while the archer focuses on long range attacks and equips a bow. The knight is a strong physical attacker while the white mage is a healer. Each job has their strength and weakness that reflect their stats, equipment and special abilities. As you learn abilities and level up, you an switch classes and retain some abilities of previous classes. You can have a knight that can cast black magic for example. As you progress, you'll unlock more classes that are have some pretty powerful abilities such as the Ninja's Dual Wield. What this amounts to is that you can play the game so many different ways by using these classes for your various characters. The only problem with this is that you get special characters as you progress who are pretty overpowered (looking at you Orlandu). So to beat the game you don't need to change classes and strategize as much. You can just roll through the enemy without too much effort. Net- this makes a lot of the leveling up unnecessary. I know what you're thinking, "oh so you have to grind to get all these special features". Well, yes and no. If you'd like to master every class then yeah, it's going to require grinding (although there are tips and tricks to help with this). But if you strategize on what you want to do in the big picture, it's not that much work. Also, the battles are enjoyable so it's not like it's that much work.

Difficulty: 6. This is a tough one. The beginning can be difficult when you're still learning the ropes and your characters are weak. I remember the first battle against a Black Mage was really tough since he could hit multiple characters at once with his magic. There are a few difficult battles mixed here and there throughout the game but if you know what you're doing, it's not that difficult. The end of the game is not challenging and I wish it was harder. You almost don't want to use Orlandu because he's so powerful and it makes it too easy but he's just so awesome that it's hard not to play with him. Perhaps one day I'll play the game again and the only special character I'll use is Ramza. I'm sure that'll beef up the difficulty a bit so give that a try if you're so inclined and let me know your thoughts.

All I have to say, give this game a shot. Play at least halfway through Act II and give a fair assessment based upon what it delivers and not what the name on the box says. I think you'll be pleased. I freaking love this game!!

benis : Good review! So much good in this game to me, many fond memories. 
I couldn't get over the art style... why is everyone missing their nose? It makes every character (even the old ones) look too young.  Its definitely a love it or hate it kind of game, yeah.

endings : Good point about the art style. In the cut scenes in War of the Lions, the characters definitely look weird. I didn't like it at first and it took awhile for it to grow on me. But I think they're fine now.