Despite its infamous Engrish translation, the original Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation became a respectable title in its own right, still enjoying fans and ports 10 years later. While Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is not a port or remake like so many other titles at this year's show, it is a great addition to the ever-expanding DS library, and from a quick impression it is a respectable SRPG in its own right.
"Fans of previous Tactics titles should take a look, and if you liked Tactics Advance it looks like a worthy successor."
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For RPGamers who have played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the Game Boy Advance, the gameplay will be extremely familiar. As this title is on the DS, it takes advantage of the console's capabilities by having the second screen active at all times to display information such as status menus or laws in effect for the battle. Like the previous GBA game the judges have returned, though it is uncertain how or if the plot is related to the original story, at least from the short playtime.
Still, there was enough time to play the game to sample town interaction, movement on the world map, and a battle. Battle mechanics are largely the same, and the familiar classes of the Ivalice universe are back. One interesting change to the world map is that it is divided into smaller sub-areas where the clan can move around. Each of the areas has a weather pattern, though it is also uncertain how that affects the game. Still, it is nice to see that some modifications have been made to Final Fantasy Tactics A2 to differentiate it from its immediate successor.
Working in favor of the game's impression was the fact that it is more or less complete, and it's slated for a Japanese release on October 25th. Whether these modifications will be that much different remains to be seen, although out of the RPGs I've sample at TGS so far, this is one of the better ones. Fans of previous Tactics titles should take a look, and if you liked Tactics Advance it looks like a worthy successor.
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