These shots are some of the first screens of Final Fantasy XII. The game stars Vann and Ashe who are both part of the Hume race from Final Fantasy XI. Vann is a thief and his dream is to be a sky pirate. Ashe is the princess of Dalmaska Kingdom, which is under attack by Valentia Kingdom. Within the Valentia Kingdom lies the Arcadia Empire who has been causing havoc in the world of Ivalice (believed to be the same Ivalice in the Final Fantasy Tactics series). Ashe vows to bring peace back to her kingdom and stop the Arcadia Empire where she meets Vann...

Final Fantasy XII is slated for a Summer 2004 release in Japan, which isn't to far away. New characters include Fran, a female Viera, who is a fencer and Balflear, a Hume, who starts the journey with Vann. Balflear appears to be a "gunner" since he is shown firing a gun in a couple of screen shots. These new screens also show the Bangaa, who's first appearance was in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and a new pig-like race. To distinguish between the different races, subtitles will appear differently for each race. The battle system in Final Fantasy XII is expressed by the designers as a mix of X-2 and Vagrant Story. They have revealed there is a "gem" system where you can equip gems during battle, but have not elaborated on the function of the gems. Another big heap of information is about the graphics system. Final Fantasy XII supposedly will have better graphics and use less polygons. Players will also be able to control the camera angle on their own throughout the entire game.

 

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