Can't agree with the subject line of the thread. FF12 is one of the truly GREAT videogames ever created. Not just good, not just terrific - Square Enix blew the roof off the RPG genre. Great cast, great voice-acting (in Japanese and English versions), complex storyline, wonderful battle system which removes most of the tedium of level-grinding, and some of the best cut-scenes ever created in a videogame. My jaw dropped so many times, my chin started to get rug-burn.
The politics in the storyline can be unnerving, sure. It's a warning about how war-making hubris can destroy the mightiest of Empires. To be blunt, Dalmasca = occupied Iraq. Allegory, allegory!
Most amazing of all: the sophistication of the characters. FF10 had some fine moments, but it was ultimately a teen romance, featuring some fairly straightforward RPG figures. But FF12 has living, breathing people, who are truly unique. Example: Fran and Balthier. They're not only interesting characters in their own right. They're also videogame culture's first credible interracial couple.
