by Andrew Hockenbroch

Created on: May 29, 2009

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is the latest installment in the Final Fantasy Tactics line. Grimoire continues to expand the variety of jobs, quests, and other options available to the player, including some exciting guest characters. All of the new features and changes to a few others make Grimoire by far the best of its series.

GAME PLAY - 4/5

Game play is standard Final Fantasy Tactics fare. You get your quest, go to its location, and choose a small group from among your clan to carry out the mission. The actual mission are turn-based strategy, almost like a complex board game. This style is great for people who prefer taking the time to think out their moves and use everything available to their characters, but it can also make for slow play at times as the player occasionally waits through six, or sometimes even more, of the game's turns.

GRAPHICS - 3/5

If you are looking for realistic graphics the Nintendo DS is not the place to look. That said Grimoire's graphics are a vast improvement over previous installations. The various maps and the character models are very detailed for a hand held system. The only part that is really lacking graphically is the regional map. It is the usual flat brown only with fewer icons. Most of the areas have returned to being displayed as simple flat circles.

SOUND - 2/5

Grimoire's sound would be perfectly acceptable, except around the fiftieth quest a player completes he or she may want to turn it off just to stop hearing the same melody over and over.

CREATIVITY - 3/5

Not only does a good bit of Grimoire's story sound familiar, but large parts of it sound an awful lot like the story line from the previous installment, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Aside from the story, however, the improvements to the game play, new quest types, a few new classes, and even the use of familiar old characters give Grimiore a little creative sparkle.

INNOVATION - 5/5

Grimoire is remarkably innovative for just another game in one product line, as expected from anything with the name Final Fantasy. There are new quest types. Dispatch quests often now include the ability to go take care of it personally. The judges and laws are still around, but they are implemented in a way that is not so annoying and perhaps even fun. The laws themselves actually feel like they add something to the game now rather than take abilities away. In many ways Grimoire does feel like a brand new game. Of course, there are also those familiar characters who can join your clan and whose names shall not be spoiled.

OVERALL - 4/5

If you have enjoyed past Final Fantasy Tactics games you are almost guaranteed to love this one. It is a great improvement. If you are new to the Final Fantasy Tactics line the game may seem a little slow and a bit complicated, and extremely long at 400 quests at first, but if you stick it out through the very beginning you may just find you have a new love.

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