Ogre Battle was the game that first got me interested in strategy RPGs, but Final Fantasy Tactics was the game that got me hooked. This game was brought to us by the same staff that made Atlus' strategic masterpiece Tactics Ogre, and it shows, too. With FFT there were many improvements but also a few setbacks. With the names Final Fantasy and Squaresoft as symbols of quality in the eyes many gamers, I expected a lot out of this game. It surpassed all my expectations.

FFT takes place in the land of Ivalice, a land torn apart by a fifty year war and social discord. You take the role of a young hero, Ramza Beoulve, a man from a long line of noble warriors, loyal to the crown. But Ramza, like his father, is an idealist who has great belief in his morals. A position of nobility and a sense of morality inevitably clash; such is the case within FFT. The king of Ivalice died at the end of the fifty year war leaving a young son and his daughter, Ovelia, behind. When Ovelia is kidnapped, the two candidates in running for the position of regent over the young king begin a conflict known as the Lion War. It is into the middle of this raging conflict that Ramza and his band of freedom fighters are thrown. The first battle takes place in the "present" but the rest of the first chapter takes place in the form of a flashback. The events that will ensue undoubtedly will change the history of Ivalice forever.

FFT's story is wonderfully crafted with numerous plot twists and interesting multi-dimensional characters. The story of FFT grasped my mind and didn't let go until "THE END" popped up on my screen. Without a doubt in my mind I feel this is one of the top 3 storylines in a game. Whether it is the wonderfully complex relationships, the unexpected twists or social issues brought up; FFT's story delivers spectacularly in all aspects.

The graphics in the game are superb, even for today. The fantastic hand drawn sprites blend in terrifically with the fully rotateable 3D polygonal environments. In addition, to this day, the spells in FFT remain my favorites. They match or even surpass the graphical beauty of FF8's without all the grandeur and outrageous execution time. When looking at the graphics, one can truly see the resemblance to Tactics Ogre. A nice feature not found in TO that, thankfully, is in FFT is the ability to zoom in and out and rotate camera angles. In TO, I often found myself in trouble after realizing that an enemy unit was hiding behind a building. In FFT, if someone is hiding behind a building, simply rotate the camera angle and find out before it is too late. The landscapes are vibrant and diverse for the most part, occasionally opting for a darker more mysterious approach when it suits the story. There is some palette swapping present here but for the most part, there is diversity in the enemies. There are many different landscapes varying from cathedrals and castles to underground libraries and dungeons. Unlike TO, FFT rarely uses the same landscape during battle more than once (Not counting random battles). The sprites express emotion quite well and their animation is plentiful and fluid. Though there are only 2 FMVs in the game, they are spectacular. All in all, FFT displays some of the nicest graphics to date.

The music found in FFT is unsurpassed. No game before or since has matched the emotion and beauty captured by FFT's soundtrack. The music always fits the mood like a glove and uses orchestrated instruments. The sound effects are also wonderful. There are many types of sounds, all of which are executed well. Sound execution in FFT is flawless.

The gameplay in FFT is also another very strong point. There is an extremely complex job system that makes Tactics Ogre seem like child's play. Tons of regular jobs and several unique ones (i.e. only available to a certain character) are sure to keep you busy. In fact, this system is so rich and diverse I discover new tricks in the system every time I play (I've cleared the game 3 times). This job system and tons of side quests make this game have fantastic replay value. However, FFT lost something great that was present in TO. That is the ability to choose your side. Imagine, being able to choose your side and having the story change as a result. Nevertheless, it does not detract that much because the story and replayability are already very good.

The concept of JP in FFT was a welcome addition. When attacking, you earn JP as well as EXP. EXP contributes towards raising your character's level, whereas you can choose which abilities to learn by spending you JP. Also, your job level goes up when you gain enough JP. This leads to more job classes being opened up to that character (e.g. to be a wizard you must be a level 2 chemist, etc.). There are tons of abilities, some of which are near useless, others essential.

The battles in this game are great, lots of variety and challenge, but some are a little too challenging. Anyone who has played through FFT knows how frustrating the battle on the roof is, where you have to save Rafa. The retard usually gets killed before you can even reach her. Also sometimes the battles get a little too easy, I got my characters to have a permanent 97% evade rate. The difficulty is a little unbalanced at times. Though the battles are fantastic, there is a little room for improvement. FFT took a step back when allowing only 5 characters into battle as opposed to TO's 10 character maximum. Also the battlefields are smaller leaving less room for strategy. Regardless of its few flaws, the gameplay in FFT is top notch.

Overall, Final Fantasy Tactics is a must-have for any RPG or strategy lover. This game delivers fantastic gamplay, a complex, textured storyline, impressive graphics and a killer soundtrack. If you endure though the first few hours, while you are learning, you will have one of the best gaming experiences of your life. FFT is one of my 3 favorite games and I highly suggest you play it, you will not regret it.