Final Fantasy Tactics hit the original PlayStation in 1998 to great acclaim. Taking the tactical role-playing formula and mixing it with endearing characters and signature Final Fantasy charm worked to create one of the most memorable PSOne games to date, even though it can't escape Final Fantasy VII's shadow. Now Square Enix gives PSP owners a second chance to enjoy one of their finest gems.

This doesn't mean that everyone will love the game. The inherent difficulty in games of this nature tend to exclude the more casual players, and Final Fantasy Tactics is certainly no piece of cake. The game's difficulty level ramps up fairly quickly, and while there are ample tutorials to explain its intricacies, watching all of them will eat up an enormous chunk of time in an already exceedingly lengthy game. But thanks to its new portable format, the game encourages a more pick up and play dynamic, yet individual battles still take a long while to complete.

Thanks to a gripping story, now retold in an all new English translation, each encounter feels meaningful (even more so than before), encouraging gamers to continue their play sessions, trying to squeeze in just one more battle in each sitting.

Role-playing veterans will find the gameplay intuitive, focusing on choosing the correct party of playable characters for each battle and strategically placing and moving them about the grid-based environment. There are also bonuses that appear on the grid, which require greater use of strategy, with players weighing the options of whether to pursue them, forfeiting their location or allow the enemy the opportunity to pick them up. Building upon this is the job system, which adds a ton of variety by allowing characters to level up in their jobs, affording them special bonuses that could become key to victory as the battles progress.

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