all games are not created equal

I had an itch to play through the original Final Fantasy Tactics again, so I thought I'd write up a comparison. Both games are extraordinarily addictive: I sunk about 30 hours into a new game of the original this weekend (with many more in the past), while FFTA2 has claimed over 90 hours of my life since it came out. They both have good music, graphics, and gameplay, but let's compare stories.

FFTA2 is a pretty typical tale of a boy who finds himself in a peculiar world and needs to figure out a way to get home. Along the way, he makes friends and realizes that while he would like to go home, it's more important to him to help those in need, even if that happens to be in Ivalice. Meanwhile, a criminal organization sets itself as the antagonist. The game's final battle is against a big demon Illua summons, and everything is set right in the end.

Final Fantasy Tactics, on the other hand, is a story of a man who just wants to do what's right and ends up caught in the political machinations of just about everyone. The two princes vie for power while the church positions itself to manipulate both of them. Meanwhile, Ramza uncovers the dark truth of the "Holy Stones" and the Lucavi's plot. Ramza saves the day, but not before tons of people die, and the church erases Ramza from history.

FFT's story had much more depth than FFTA2's. A2's most interesting stuff happens in the sidequests, but it's still nothing to be excited about. FFT wins this one without a doubt.