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Okay, so...I haven't gotten a videogame, in like, what...3, 4, 5 months? I haven't had the time, nor the money to get something that costs at least $50.00...and yet, I was lucky!

I was able to trade in so much stuff I didn't want or need, I bought a game for nothing at all, and guess what that game was?

FINAL. FANTASY. XII.

Yea, so now, I'm like, addicted to that game...It's amazing, everything about it!

The storyline, the graphics, the character likeability, boss battles, cut scenes, everything about this game makes it one of my favorites for what's left of this year, and probably for most of the next o.o!

I mean, I totally recommend this game to hard-core Final Fantasy RPG players, and even for the newbies, who have never even heard or seen a Final Fantasy game in their life (well...who hasn't?)! This game will most definitely appeal to all RPG fans, and since I'm big on RPG's, and I absolutely love Final Fantasy, I got into this game fairly quickly.

But still, novice or amateur, I really do suggest getting the guidebook, especially for the stuff like:

1. Maps
2. Treasure locations
3. How to use Gambits
4. How to use Quickenings
5. How to use Licences
6. How to use Techniks
7. How to defeat HARD bosses (like the Elder Wyrm, took me at least an hour or so to beat, my god...=_=...darn status effects...)
8. Hunt information
9. Sidequests (some hunts are required in order to do some of these sidequests!)

Yea, that's the main reason I bought the guidebook, even if I have played Final Fantasy games before. It came in handy, and now I am able to get through the game a little easier, although I will caution you it may take you longer to complete the game as a whole due to how expensive items get, and the fact you will need a lot of them for multiple characters (this applies just to armour and weapons, not to things like magick, techniks, or gambits). You will probably need to go back and fight more monsters (make a really long chain of same-type monsters for a better chance at more items and whatnot) for gil and items you can sell for more gil.

Oh yea, did I mention...you get to ride Chocobos??? =D Well, okay, I know that's not new to Final Fantasy games or anything, but the ones in this game are quite fun to ride (too bad you can't breed 'em XD) I love riding them, personally (so detailed too, with the feathers and stuff 0_0), and I suggest anyone who gets this game should work on riding one, even before you get to the part in the game where you get two free Chocobo rides. Also, Chocobos can go on Chocobo trails, which you can't get to on foot (like when you have to get to the dreaded Henne Mines), plus they allow you to pass through monster-infested areas without them all ganging up and chasing you and making you either fight or hold down the Flee command (really, if you are overwhelmed with monsters, or just need to get somewhere fast, use this command and RUN!). Oh yea, Chocobos can also get a speed boost, or Sprint, three times, if you press the X button. This doesn't last for a very long time, but it really does speed you up, and if you are running out of time on a Chocobo (since you only get an alotted amount of time on them), use these Sprints to get to your destination faster!

Then there is the Clan Centurio, headed by my favorite Moogle in the game, Montblanc (I like Gurdy too, he let's you ride Chocobos' for varying amounts of gil =D), and this is definitely a clan you should not forget to join! After you do join, talk to Montblanc again to get some items. Also, he hands out Elite marks to you, which are much stronger and harder to beat than the regular marks you can find in the Sandsea. Do these, if your level is high enough, and remember you can start hunts for more than one monster, and then when you are high enough in level, go do that hunt =3! Oh, and don't forget to go to Montblanc after certain quests, hunts, and bosses in the story to get items from him as a reward! You also get a rank in the clan, as you start out as a Moppet and have to work your way up and gain titles. I am currently a Paragon of Justice, I believe (all I know is I have over 300k points lol).

Omg, I also really like the espers; they are so cool, w00t! Well, basically espers are summons, but you first need to beat them in order to gain the rights to summon them, and then, only then, can you unlock the summoning skill for that esper on the liscence board for one character. I currently have the first and second summons that you encounter in the game, Belias, the Gigas (part beast, part human > wink , and Mateus, the Corrupt. Yea, they're pretty useful, I just wish that there was a summon like a Bahamut or something, but this Final Fantasy is not an add-on of sorts; it's a completely new story, characters, everything (except Ivalice was a world in another Final Fantasy, and also Montblanc was featured in another game as well), so there's no chance of that happening (even though there are the signature creatures Moogles and Chocobos, along with the Hume race and such) XD. Oh, and also, although you do encounter a few espers in the actual storyline that you have to defeat, the rest are optional, and you have to find them in sidequests. Beyond that, I just had to mention them, because espers are really kewl, and the scenes for their moves and stuff are awesomeness >:3!

Oo, oo, the last thing I really like about FFXII is probably the awesome Quickenings, although they did take me a while to, um, master (I kept pressing R2 and nothing else, thinking that would build up the power of the attack, but nooo, you gotta input other button commands to start a nice, long chain T~T). I really enjoy the awesome scences of the characters unleashing these strong (and sometimes quite deadly) moves. Plus, if you chain enough together, you can get a really powerful ending move, like Inferno, Cataclysm, or Torrent (I have only gotten these three, higher ones are harder to get to, and even getting Torrent is hard!). These ending moves can really knock off some serious HP, which really does help when you are up against the big bosses (just remember to have the Technik Charge and use that, because the characters that don't get a mist charge will be left with 0 MP, and you will definitely need that MP to perform Magicks!). Yea, but it's still really fun to use them, period, since they kinda remind me of, what...Inuyasha's Kongosouha, Bakuryuhaa, or, lol, Kaze no Kizu (you know, those signature moves that cause lotsa damage to the baddies) XD. Oh, plus...you gotta unlock Quickenings from the Liscence board, and each character can only have three Quickenings! But beyond that...learn to use Quickenings, please do...they can mean a real difference when you are up against a formidable opponent (such as my good friend, the Elder Wyrm =_=.

Okay, now I just want to rank my favorite characters so far in my party (just for fun, since you do grow accustomed to playing as certain characters more than others XD):

1. Fran - I love Fran, she's the only one who's not a Hume, but a Viera (some people just like to think of her as a Playboy Bunny, but she acts nothing like one).

2. Vaan - Well, he IS the main character in the story, and currently my highest-lvl character >_> (down with Arcadia! W00t!).

3. Balthier - What can I say; he's really fun to play as! I mean, he has a gun, and he's witty, and all that...

4. Penelo - As Vaan's longtime orphan friend, she really does pack a punch O.O;! Just give her a dagger and shield, and she's ready to go > (well that's what I gave her lol)!

5. Lady Ashe - I feel so bad for her...she and Rasler looked so happy together...*sigh*...Oh well...she's really strong too...I like playing as her, I just haven't found anything too interesting to say about her besides her background as being a princess and stuff =3.

6. Basch - He's got a twin brother! Kewlness o_o (I always knew he did...not XD).

Guest Characters - Yes, from time to time you get these guest characters that help you through the game, to advance the storyline. Some of the characters that are guests do become permanent members of your party, but some don't...I have yet to seen Larsa permanently join my party, but I don't think it's going to happen, as much as I would like it to...

Okay, so here are the two non-permanent guest characters I have had so far, in order of which I like more:

1. Larsa - Wow, I love this guy...he throws out high-potions so fast you barely need to use the gambit for cure, cura, or curaga! He's really helpful for hunts, since he can heal you so fast, plus he's pretty good on the level when you get him! Oh yea, he also really helped in the fight against Elder Wyrm...I don't think I could have survived without him >_<;.

2. Vossler - Yea, yea...he's a bad guy (I beat him!), but whatever...he's still really, really strong O_O! He has this huuuge sword that does a lot, and I mean a lot of damage, even though he does go off on his own and kills monsters you weren't even targeting...psh...