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Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

(2007, Video Games - Strategy, Rated T, Play it on: PSP)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Deep, rich, and challenging role-playing game.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 11 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Requires planning and studying.
  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Bloody effects are very rare and look more like dots than blood.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Terms like "whoreson" and "bastard" can be heard.
  • Consumerism:

    Part of a series of video games.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    There's an offhand reference to "opium smuggling" but that's hard to find in this long game. It's not a theme.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions was written by Andrew Bub

Parents need to know that combat is a crucial component of this game, but that it's turn-based so that while you plan it, you don't directly participate in it. The battle animations are not overly graphic. The game offers a compelling fantasy world with loads of depth and replayability. The characters are squat, noseless, and very ... cute.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about whether playing a medieval fantasy game sparks interest or questions about real medieval history. How do you feel about the "might makes right" nature of this kind of game? How did you solve particular problems and difficult missions in the game? Also, the characters are cute and child-like -- how do their looks affect your response to the game?
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More on Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

What’s the Story?

The Final Fantasy series of video games is very popular, but only older fans remember the game's brief foray into the smaller "tactics" genre. Now new fans can explore the "tactics" version with FINAL FANTASY: THE WAR OF THE LIONS. It's the original 10-year-old game with new stuff added, everything updated, and the gameplay intact -- now presented in a portable form for the Sony PSP handheld. For those new to the genre, a tactics game, particularly one like this one with role-playing elements, demands a lot of strategic brain power. You must read a lot, constantly fiddle with your characters' stats and equipment, and pay close attention to the weaknesses of your enemy. Close

Is It Any Good?

The game is beautiful, with lovingly rendered battlefields and well-defined characters. The turn-based combat found in War of the Lions is tactical war-gaming at its best. The game offers challenging battle after challenging battle. This is the type of game where party composition and how characters are moved and positioned matters above all else. Side attacks, back attacks, making extra sure to maximize the power of a certain spell -- all these matter a great deal, and these battles and your progress in the epic story hinge on learning them.

The only problems with this game are the substandard manual and the shallow and tedious tutorial. It's almost like the designers figured that only fans of the 1998 version were going to buy this game, so they didn't really need to spend much time explaining how to play it. Players must be willing to learn mostly by trial and error. Fortunately, for those willing to put in the time to learn the complexities, the game rewards the players' efforts with a deep, rich, and challenging game. Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 10/10/2007, price $30.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: T (for Blood, drug reference, fantasy violence, mild suggestive themes)

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Nevada
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    A must buy!

    This game is a planning rpg game where u basically wait and attack. not very many bad thing theres "whoreson", "bastard", and "damn" but nothing else. commercialism is okay not bad u can unlock characters from other final fantasy's and no romantic relationships are forged here.

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Incredible, challenging game

    This is one of the best games for the PSP and is VERY hard. Not overly violent, or anything bad. I think it should have been rated E or E10+. Really good, but if you aren't up for complicated gameplay and a challenge, you probably won't like it.

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