Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of The Lions (PlayStation Portable, 2007)

Final Fantasy Tactics is definitely one of the best strategy RPGs ever. It's extremely well-made, it poses a decent challenge, the storyline is amazing and, for the time, it has very good effects and animation. So, this PSP port is quite good as well! You just have to get used to the fact that the script is completely redone; there are some character name changes, item changes and skill name changes... They're just details in my opinion but there are a few people out there that think some lines from the dialogue shouldn't have been completely redone or even omitted.

Also, they added Cell Shaded cutscenes that are voiced over in the NA version. This is a great touch to the storyline and they look really nice. The voice acting is decent too. On top of all this, they added two new job classes: The Dark Knight and the Onion Knight. The Dark Knight was originally the job class of Gafgarion and I think most of us who played the original game wanted to have a Dark Knight in our parties... Well, now we can! And, in case you're wondering, Gafgarion is now a Fell Knight. And now joining the game as the new characters are Balthier from FFXII and Luso from FFT:Grimoire of the Rift. But don't worry, you can still get Cloud in your party!

My only complaint about the PSP version is that there's some lag present but it isn't completely bad so it's tolerable. Also, the sound quality of the game isn't the same. I remember some sound effects quite vividly from the original game and they aren't the same anymore. I suppose they had to lower the sound quality in order to add the cutscenes and voice overs? Oh well, I'm sure we'll survive.

So, to finish, it's very nice to play again this wonderful game and wonderful storyline with all these tweaks and with two new classes as well. If you loved the original game, I think it's worth it to give it another go, and if you didn't then it's the perfect opportunity to play it. You won't regret it!

I've been a gamer since way back when Pong was new, and I think I've played every major system (and owned too many of them!) When this was first released in '97, I bought it simply because it was a Final Fantasy game. Having played Tactics Ogre, I liked the genre. And I loved the idea of a strategy based FF title. I ended up addicted to this game. I put in well over 200 hours on replays alone! So when it was released for the PSP, I just about wet my pants. Especially on seeing the cutscenes. The story is deeper, more involved, and the cutscenes just add that touch the original lacked. The addition of Luso and Balthier are fantastic. It seems the translation has really been punched up too - the dialog is now more fitting. In the original, the speech of the characters seemed too modern for the time they were supposed to be in. Now they "talk" like they should. Some of the battles are just as tough as I remember them. The music is just as grand as ever, and you'll need to plug in the headphones or the speakers to really get the full experience of it. There are minor frustrations, though. The games slows a bit when a lot of characters are on-screen or when there is a special effect, like a summoning spell. It's difficult in spots to know which abilities you'll need to defeat certain bosses. Some of the rescue and protect missions are a little too hard, and you can't even get the secret characters unless you keep one certain member alive! BUT - having said all that, it is a wonderful update of what I consider a classic game. Absolutely as must have not only for FF fans, but for tactical fans, and just about anyone else.

With FFT as one of my most favorite games of all time, naturally my expectations were quite high for the PSP remake. I found it to be a mixed bag.

Things I liked:
-New translation, which fixes a lot of errors and sounds more believable with the context, as well as seems more consistent.
-Extra game content, including beautifully rendered 3D cutscenes, two new job classes, and some story scenes.

Things I disliked:
-EXTREMELY noticeable slowdown during certain unit attack animations. For gamers that have played the original, this may be a dealbreaker. There is absolutely no excuse for Square to have coded the game so poorly. The slowdown is immense and adversely affected my enjoyment of the game.
-Some parts of the new translation, such as renaming practically every character and town. This is obviously my opinion.

Everything else is pretty much the same as the original: gameplay, jobs, mechanics, story, etc.

Overall, I believe it would come down to a question of if you can tolerate the slowdown. I love the game enough to play it despite the slowdown, but hardcore fans may choose to purchase the original off the PlayStation Network instead. If you can, try before you buy.

Originally from Playstation 1, this game was highly-acclaimed and hailed as an instant classic! The PSP version shows much brilliance like the first, yet a few flaws hinders it to become the ultimate PSP tactic game; The sound was not as crystal as its predecessor. For instance, some of the special attack effects was greatly reduced for the sake of compression. The visuals were a bit blurry, which was similar to Valkyrie Profile for PSP; Their PS1 versions were much clearer in sounds and visuals. Also, the game tends to lag when chanting great spells and initiating a special attack. At times, I begin to ponder that this game is made for the new and slim PSP version than the old PSP system... but do not be disheartened, for the game is decent enough as it is to cloud the flaws it has. Regardless, it is a great tactical RPG game for the PSP.

A GAME LIKE NO OTHER. SQUARE-ENIX CREATED THIS KILLER CLASSIC FOR ONE PURPOSE ONLY............TO SATISFY THE HARDCORE RPG GAMERS STOMACHS WITH OVER THE TOP ACTION, HUMOR AND EPIC STORYLINE! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TITLE! BELIEVE ME!!!!