Rated 
Much Better Than the Original
Animated cut scenes with voice overs, better translation and localization, lot of extras
Adjusting to the names, still a difficult game
Posted Oct 28, 2007 - I've played the original Final Fantasy Tactics several times over the years. Many hail it as the best Final Fantasy game (despite being a spin-off). I, however, always completed the game with the same feeling: frustration. This was my first SRPG which added to the already-difficult game. Even more so, the crappy translation led to me spending most of the game going "Okay, which side is he on again?" However, this enhanced port greatly clears up the frustration of trying to understand the story, even though it is still rather complicated and full of betrayal. The game has been retranslated from the ground up. The localization is done in the style of Final Fantasy XII, such as "Magick." Many of the name "changes" (such as Algus to Argrath, and Olan to Orran) offend many veterans. Likewise, after years of knowing Ramza's squire skills as "Guts," "Mettle" is kind of hard to adjust to. However, it's we're comparing years to weeks (as of this review) so of course it's going to be hard to adjust. The battle system is an SRPG, with turns based on character's speed rating. A character's speed is added to get to 100, and once 100 (the CT) is reached, the character can take a turn. Moving and acting sets the CT back to 0, while only one reduces it to 20, and just waiting reduces it to 60. Magick spells require a charge time, so it is always important to see when they will be cast. Many abilities don't distinguish between enemies and allies, so you have to be careful to avoid disaster. Characters have a set number of jobs (classes) in the beginning, but leveling those up unlocks more jobs. Besides EXP, you also gain JP to unlock abilities. You can only equip 2 skill sets (such as Squire and Knights) along with one each of reaction, support, and movement abilities, so these choices make or break your team. Most battles limit you to 5 characters, with one already reserved for Ramza. The game is pretty hard on its own, but if you pretty much don't know what classes you want to get for the rest of the game after the first few battles, you are likely to waste valuable JP in a worthless class and not have the abilities you need when you really need them. The story is rather complex. You are Ramza, the youngest (and illegitimate) son of House Beoulve, a prominent warrior family. When the king dies, a dispute over the successor launches the land of Ivalice into war. While guarding the Princess Olevia, Ramza spots his thought-dead friend Delita. After reminiscing, Ramza finds himself digging deep into the plot behind the war. There are many characters and keeping them straight can be complicated. However, you can look up profiles and view previous cut scenes. This is a solid SRPG for any owner. The extras, including voice acting cinematics, new characters, and new jobs, provide more than enough reason to double-dip along with the clearer translation. The only people I would advise to be hesistant are those new the SRPG genre, especially those who don't like to go to the Internet for help. I would suggest something like Jeanne d'Arc before jumping into this game. Besides the simpler battle system, Jeanne d'Arc has a much more relaxed feel to it better suiting newbies.
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This game is pretty. And hard.
