[Once A Villain]

I have mixed feelings about this... For one thing, I don't trust Famitsu because, as people have said, they tend to vastly overrate the Final Fantasy games, especially the newer ones. As a kid I loved Final Fantasy IV (II in the U.S.) and I still believe Final Fantasy VI is the greatest FF game hands down. However, I can't stand all this praise given to Final Fantasy VII or VIII. IX and X I enjoyed, but a 38 or 39 out of 40 for those games is insane too. So, this 40/40 score means little to me overall.

Having said that, I'm more intrigued by this Final Fantasy game than any other in recent memory. The reason is simple: Yasumi Matsuno. He's the guy directing this game and I think he's probably Square's most talented creator. He did Final Fantasy Tactics (which is a better game than any of the last five FF games in the main series) and Vagrant Story (I loved this game when I played it about 6 years ago). I have yet to play a Matsuno game that I didn't think was one of Square's best games. So, maybe Final Fantasy XII will be a great game after all? I just won't trust Famitsu about it until I see for myself.

[sethsez]

Originally Posted by Once A Villain

Yasumi Matsuno. He's the guy directing this game

No he isn't. He left a while ago and was replaced with the SaGa guy.

However, everything I've heard says that Matsuno's touch is still there and the SaGa guy is pretty much transparent.

[Jackal]

I agree that a "perfect" score should theoretically be attainable in rating scales less than 100. As Robert said, 5/5, 10/10, even 40/40 represents a range of percentage points.

That said, I also believe that anything given the top rating in any scale should be almost flawless. I don't think I've ever played a 5/5 game, and certainly not a 100% game.

I'm not a big fan of treating lower numbers as positive scores. To me, 50% is HALF the quality of what a game ought to have been. From where I'm standing, half just isn't a very successful accomplishment. So I side on the notion that 50% is already below average, and below that even moreso.

[Once A Villain]

Originally Posted by sethsez

No he isn't. He left a while ago and was replaced with the SaGa guy.

However, everything I've heard says that Matsuno's touch is still there and the SaGa guy is pretty much transparent.

Yeah they stayed true to Matsuno's original vision for one thing, and for another...he remained in a supervising role and the original idea and plot are his. Plus, wasn't it just announced around August of last year that he got sick and had to turn over the directing duties? The game has been in the making I think since 2003 or so, and it's out now in Japan. So I mean...I can't see all that much changing when the director became "supervisor" about 7 months ago for a game that has been in the making over 3 years and is now released.

Of course, all this just confirms what you said anyhow, that the SaGa guy is transparent and the game, at least in my view, is still Matsuno's.

[Reflection]

When is the game out in the UK?

[wilco]

Originally Posted by Reflection

When is the game out in the UK?

Last news said its going to be released in November in the US, so Europe should probably get it in 2007... late, as usual

[Reflection]

I thought November was the UK release date! ;/