I'm being pretty picky when I say that. It doesn't look as tight to me as most really memorable JRPG combat systems. It's obviously much more like an MMO, and like most recent JRPGs, you control one character. Running around with one character often feels like playing an action game where your button presses interact with menus instead of directly controlling your avatar. What I love about lots of older JRPGs, generally ones with full party control, is that they feel like steamlined strategy games where your menu selections feel surprisingly action-y (visceral might be a better word) -- almost the reverse of the combat gameplay in this newer stuff. That said, I've only seen a few early battles in Xenoblade, so maybe higher levels make it feel even more like an action game., which I think is the best direction to go in for a combat system like this.
Anyway, hope that makes sense.
