Customer Reviews
A deep and charming experience that will provide you with hours upon hours of strategical goodness - By: mister superstar, 31 Aug 2008 
Final Fantasy Tactics has always appealed to those gamers who were looking for a FF game with a little extra kick, & let me tell you... this game has itin 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, & finds himselfin 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, & most other players, the story is not where this games strengths lie & is most definitely not the reason I bought it. Unlike other FF games, tactics relies heavily on what it's title would suggest & 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 (7in 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, excelsin a different area & 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, & therefore bypass having to climb or being surrounded, while Moogles & Nu Mou cannot enter water so you have to keep all of thisin 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, & 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 & don't want to do... there are a lot of options & chances to micromanage & it's all offered to youin a very crisp & functional way.
Now, it obviously isn't all as simple as it sounds. During battle you will have to keep many factorsin mind. Each unit can move a certain amount of spaces per turn & this is determined part by job & part by equipment. You also have weaknesses & resistances to take into consideration, as well as many other details such as counter abilities, positioning & most importantly the rules. Players of the first GBA title will be no stranger to the judge, except thatin this game if you break the law you simply loose your clan privilege & 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 competein auction houses for control of the land. This & many other pace breakers help do exactly that & keep the game interesting & running smoothly.
This & the main story missions which are usually accompanied with mini cut scenes & dialogue. It's nothing majorly interesting but it's enough to hold your attention & 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 & 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 & what it produces is a game that is fun, addictive & intricately designed. For all it's flaws it has many areasin which it excels & as far as handheld games go this is a winner. If your looking for something to eat away at your time & to make your mind ticker away then this is your game.
This Is How You Do It! - By: Phill, 08 Aug 2008 
After a slew of unsucessful & 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 foundin his schools library.He meets a whole host of weird & wonderful characters like the feisty yet mysterious girl Adelle & 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 & tedious the game doesnt disappoint. Character classes are a big dealin 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, & it's one of, if not my favourite DS game so far.
Graphics: 10/10
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Extras: 7/10
Fantastic! - By: Michael Cawdrey, 03 Aug 2008 This game is a massive departure from Final Fantasy Tactics for the GBA that came out a few years ago. This game returns the player to Ivalice, a magical world setin the Final Fantasy Universe. This time, you play as Luso, a young, full of life character, who's journey to get back home takes may thrills & spills. The combat system is almost exactly the same as the previous title, with one of the biggest differences being the altered Law system. Players now select a 'Clan Privilege' that offers a bonus effect (such as enhanced movement, speed & power) as long a as you uphold the law.
Two new playable races appearin this installment, Seeqs & Gria. Both are interesting to havein your team, I strongly suggest recruiting a Gria as soon as you can. This game boasts a massive 300 quests to complete, which will keep you busy for hours!
Breakdown:
Graphics: 9/10: Some of the best I have seen on the DS, they really shine through when Scions are summoned.
Game Play: 10/10: With countless ways to customize your team, the possibilities are endless.
Sound: 8/10: Typical Final Fantasy sountrack.
Longativity: 10/10 With 300 quests, & general exploring on top of that, this game takes hours to complete (I am at over 50 hours playtime, & I have not completed all quests yet)
Overall: 9/10: A strong addition to the Final Fantasy series, I would recomend this game to fans of hand held tactical games, final fantasty fans, & to those who loved the first game. I love this game, & I will continue to play it until I finish every little thing there is to do!
Turn based tactics at its best - By: J. Schuberth, 28 Jul 2008 If you like turn based tactics games this is the one for you! Immersive gameplay, lots of jobs (classes) & sheer endless tactical possibilities & depth. Don't expect a deep story, expect very varied fights, some (especiallyin the first part of the game) rather easy, but some quite difficult. As you can change between jobs & have two different sets of skills there are numerous ways you can approach each tactical situation. Smart combination of your skills will be rewarded & the "Law" system* adds to the alure, as it keeps you from constantly using the same tactics & 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.
As Good As Ever - By: S. Osborne, 15 Jul 2008 Almost exactly like FFTA. Which is what I was hoping for. The Law system is not as harsh as it was & some other small aspects have changed but the core of the gamneplay is as horribly addictive as ever. If you buy this prepare yourself for the "Just five more minutes" effect that has you ignoring that fact that it's threein the morning on a weeknight just so you can finish this next battle. It looks pretty sweet too, & stylus controls have been implemented (which apparently weren't therein import versions).
