When “Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions” for the Playstation 2 dropped in 1998 it was like manna from heaven. The turn-based game was, and still is, a classic title that any serious gamer should have in his personal collection.
So when the newest installment of the series, “Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift,” was released for the Nintendo DS, I had only two words: pure joy.
The plot is roughly in the same vein of “Final Fantasy XII,” adding and borrowing from several sources of the Final Fantasy universe and depositing them in a neat little bundle in your hands.
To those unfamiliar with the mythology of Final Fantasy, it may be confusing on the first pass, but that’s OK; gameplay more than makes up for it.
Working on a grid utilizing a turn-based system, fights are sorted into encounters that are linear to the story as well as random encounters, just like the original.
Unlike the original, the dialogue translation doesn’t frustrate you into an apoplectic fit.
Stylus control, new classes and perhaps the best graphics for the DS to date make this easily one of the top five games for the platform.
Rated: E for Everybody
Price: $39.99 for the Nintendo DS
Justin Arnold, Big Game Hunter
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