TVGP Plays...Final Fantasy XII - Checkpoint #1 - Defeat Rogue Tomato

[Boston]

So Brad and I have been talking a bit lately about playing Final Fantasy XII again.  We both loved it and were looking to play something that we've played before as a change of pace.  Plus there aren't any great new games coming out for a while, so we might as well play a better older one.  And unlike the MGS playthrough from a few months ago, we thought it would be a good idea to bring you guys into the mix this time

So the third segment for a while is going to be a segment where we all play the same game (or attempt to, as it will most likely go).  We'll set up "stop points" for every week to make sure that we're all on the same spot so we can all enjoy the game at the same pace and talk about it.  But if you're really enjoying the game, don't hesitate to play more of it.  We're pretty free about this whole process  


This upcoming week's goal (2/6/09): Defeat the Rogue Tomato to finish your furst hunt. 


That should give people plenty of time to pick up the game (it's pretty cheap now) and anyone that hasn't played it before to pick up on the battle system.  That's no more than a few hours in, so it should be pretty manageable on such short notice.  Here's Amazon links you want to throw us a few cents per copy (you don't pay any more) so we can keep paying for hosting:

Final Fantasy XII<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thavidgampod-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000F5IH2I" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> ($20)

Final Fantasy XII Strategy Guide<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thavidgampod-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0744008379" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />  ($14)


Here's how you can send us your thoughts:

- Send us an e-mail: tvgpfans@gmail.com
- Send me a PM
- Send us an MP3 you recorded to the e-mail address (above)
- Call the Skype number: 'thatvideogamepodcast' in Skype or 330-871-4279 on your phone
- @tvgp on Twitter

Send anything you want to talk about, from how much you love the game to how much Vaan's vest reminds you of Abu from Aladdin.  We'd love to get them and read them on the show. 

If this is something that everyone enjoys and has fun with we can keep doing segments like this in the future (with voting!). 

[AlmightyTooth]

I see what I can do about acquiring the game. I went through the game halfway before I gave it back to a friend of mine. Unfortunately, my friend went on vacation, so I'm going to pick it up on Goozex.

[Boston]

I see what I can do about acquiring the game. I went through the game halfway before I gave it back to a friend of mine. Unfortunately, my friend went on vacation, so I'm going to pick it up on Goozex.

We're going to be moving pretty slowly through it for the first two or three weeks, so you have plenty of time. 

Oh, and I forgot to post next week's target: 2/13's target is the end of Barheim Passage after defeating the Mimic Queen.

[Omen Crow]

Boston, just an idea.  Maybe it would be cool to post a topic each week for TVGP plays.  In the topic heading you could write something like "TVGP Plays...Final Fantasy XII-up to Defeat Rogue Tomato *Spoilers*", then everyone that is playing along with the group has a place to discuss their experiences with the game up until the stopping spot.  Then every segment you post a new topic.  That way people have a place to discuss the game but don't have to worry about having anything past that point spoiled for them.  Just a thought, it is your website and TVGP is your thing so in the end do whatever.

Oh, and I said in my Hello Everyone thread that I wasn't going to be playing this one because I don't have a PS2.  But I have been needing a second DVD player so maybe I'll just get the PS2 and try to find the game.  Looking forward to a lot of great discussion.

[Boston]

Boston, just an idea.  Maybe it would be cool to post a topic each week for TVGP plays.  In the topic heading you could write something like "TVGP Plays...Final Fantasy XII-up to Defeat Rogue Tomato *Spoilers*", then everyone that is playing along with the group has a place to discuss their experiences with the game up until the stopping spot.  Then every segment you post a new topic.  That way people have a place to discuss the game but don't have to worry about having anything past that point spoiled for them.  Just a thought, it is your website and TVGP is your thing so in the end do whatever.

Oh, and I said in my Hello Everyone thread that I wasn't going to be playing this one because I don't have a PS2.  But I have been needing a second DVD player so maybe I'll just get the PS2 and try to find the game.  Looking forward to a lot of great discussion.

Thanks for the suggestion!  Both Brad and I really liked it, so we created a sub-forum for TVGP Plays since we want to keep this going for quite some time.  I really liked the idea of splitting up the checkpoints into different threads. 

Hope you can join up, FF12 is a fantastic game. 

[Omen Crow]

So I picked up a PS2 and FFXII today.  Got FFXII new (the greatest hits version) for 12.99 at Gamestop.  The PS2 I got for 69.99 used.  I brought it home and after an hour of Lysoling the controller it is ready to play.  I will get started on the game tonight.  I am pretty excited, I have never played any game with the Final Fantasy branding.  I was already planning on playing Final Fantasy XIII and Versus.  I just finished watching the Final Fantasy Retrospective series on Game Trailers.  They pretty well done and I would recommend them.

[Boston]

So I picked up a PS2 and FFXII today.  Got FFXII new (the greatest hits version) for 12.99 at Gamestop.  The PS2 I got for 69.99 used.  I brought it home and after an hour of Lysoling the controller it is ready to play.  I will get started on the game tonight.  I am pretty excited, I have never played any game with the Final Fantasy branding.  I was already planning on playing Final Fantasy XIII and Versus.  I just finished watching the Final Fantasy Retrospective series on Game Trailers.  They pretty well done and I would recommend them.

Great deals!  I'm looking forward to your thoughts as you dive into this.  I would also recommend the GT Retrospective on the series; it's really, really well put together.  What ever team puts those together needs a fat bonus.

[Omen Crow]

Fear not citizens of Dalmasca! No longer will you travels be plagued by fruit parading as vegetables.  For the mighty Rogue Tomato has been vanquished!

So I am enjoying the game so far.  The intro and cut-scenes are excellently done.  I did have some concerns about the hunt system.  When Tomaj was telling me all about the hunts he said not the just look at the board and go kill the hit, that I would need to talk to the petitioner of the hunt first, otherwise I would not get the reward.  So, on my epic trek to slayer the feared Rogue Tomato I saw a T-Rex in the desert.  I knew that I wouldn’t stand a chance at killing it.  I did kill quit a few wolves and a couple fat chicken things (which I wasted all my potions in fighting).  I thought about grinding the wolves and leveling up until I could take on the T-Rex.  I didn’t because I was afraid that the town’s folk might decide that the Rogue Tomato was not as serious a threat as they had at first thought and that maybe they should be more concerned about the giant T-Rex.  In which case I might have killed a potential hunt target and missed out on a reward.

[Boston]

I think the T-Rex is only there to teach people a lesson the first time they play: be careful what you fight.  A lot of people (myself included) fight him right off the bat and get owned pretty good.  Other than that, I'm not sure what it's there for.  If you kill it, you don't get any really great loot.  He's not a mark, either.  I do find it funny that there's a gigantic t-rex in the middle of the desert, though. 

The citizens of Rabanastre thank you

[Omen Crow]

I think the T-Rex is only there to teach people a lesson the first time they play: be careful what you fight.  A lot of people (myself included) fight him right off the bat and get owned pretty good.  Other than that, I'm not sure what it's there for.  If you kill it, you don't get any really great loot.  He's not a mark, either.  I do find it funny that there's a gigantic t-rex in the middle of the desert, though. 

The citizens of Rabanastre thank you

Oh yea, citizens of Rabanastre not Dalmasca, I got confused because the Rogue Tomato is in the Dalmasca Estersand, which I guess is east of Rabanastre.

[druid42]

I just killed the rogue tomato yesterday.  This is the first time I've used a battle system like this.  Are there any other games like this?  So far I'm going to reserve judgement, although I think I'm going to like the battle system.

Another question: I got a secong mark (some giant wolf), and wasn't able to take him down.  Are these marks mandatory for game advancement, and should I do any grinding (I enjoy grinding)?

[Boston]

I just killed the rogue tomato yesterday.  This is the first time I've used a battle system like this.  Are there any other games like this?  So far I'm going to reserve judgement, although I think I'm going to like the battle system.

Not that I know of, but the Persona remake that's coming to PSP is going to be retro-fitted with something similar.  The battle system was so divisive for fans that I'd be surprised if it was used again, unfortunately.

Another question: I got a secong mark (some giant wolf), and wasn't able to take him down.  Are these marks mandatory for game advancement, and should I do any grinding (I enjoy grinding)?

The marks are totally optional after the first one, but they do result in some good loot.  The real thing to look at is what difficulty the marks are, which range from I to VIII, I think.  Sometimes you'll need to grind to beat them, but you're probably going to have a lot more fun going back to beat them later as opposed to over-grinding.  I thought about it and I'm fairly sure that none of the marks are missable, so you can take them down whenever you level up a little more.

Glad to see you're enjoying it