Tales opened the door for real time combat systems for me. Previously I really, really hated them.

I'm partial to even a simple turn-based battle system though. Atelier does me just fine (Persona can be quite fun too).

Best battle system I ever played? I'm partial to FFVIII's version of ATB just because they have triggers to keep you engaged in the fighting, thought that was a very smart move (i.e. Gunblade; Summon boosting).

Grandia 2 had a smart idea of timing so you can knock back opponent's attacks, which I still see being used in various other games to this day. That really got things right too.

Depends on my mood whether I'm feeling like playing a turn based or real time RPG. There is definitely a place for both and we shouldn't have to choose one or the other.

Depends on the users taste, but for me I tend to prefer turn-based vs. real-time. It's very hard for me to like many real-time combat systems at all. I like completely thinking out my actions before performing them, especially during boss fights

I don't get why some people hate turn-based RPGs, when the best RPGs ever ( Chrono Trigger, Paper Mario TTYD, FFIX, Skies of Arcadia, etc...) are turn-based!

Grandia 2 is tragically underappreciated (the series as a whole really), great battle system, though once you get good at it it becomes very exploitable though that can be said about pretty much any rpg.

Speaking of exploitation, that fits final fantasy VIII to a tee.  Every encounter in the game can be won with the same strategy, it's almost as though the developers threw in an easy mode because of how broken the leveling and junctioning system were and they didn't feel like fixing it.

Even though the greatest achievements in RPG history have been accomplished with turn-based systems and that I have seen many real-time combat systems that kinda suck, I must say that I'm amazed by how series such as the Tales of series have such an amazing and addictive combat system. 

Tales of Graces f has shown a way to radically transform the battle system as we always knew it. Instead of having simple attacks for most enemies and then using the MP/TP/SP/ETC.P. moves for bosses, Graces transforms every single attack into a special move. And with its Chain Capacity (CC) System, You don't have to worry about any depletion of any bar that may restrain your ability to chain special moves. And I personally think that is AMAZING. Many turn-based games have some special moves that are WONDERFUL but their costs make them not useful in normal battles where fancy moves are unnecesary.

And wait....now that I think about it, the OP talks about how they are pretty much the same but the changes are seen in execution time... Mmm... Well, maybe we could see it as being able to chain special moves WAY EASIER than in games like....I dunno... Legend of Dragoon, where to even use these super special moves that are really cool and use up your MP you need to be transformed, and for that you need to chain with the timing-based system the game has to rack up some points.

I don't know where am I getting to here, but one thing is for sure: to me, Tales of Graces f has done what I always wished to see in an RPG: fancy moves being every single move so even the tiniest of enemies can be finished in a spectacular fashion with almost no worries at all. After all, launching all those over-the-top moves against bosses all at the same time was fantastic. Limit Breaks, Overdrives, OverLimits, Summons, the most powerful magic available; all those combined to make your party look like gods on the battlefield. And with this, I'm out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrI7i0Qu-Q0

I have not.  I would like to.  But not enough to buy a 360, I'm afraid :P

I can't stand turn based anymore. I like battle systems like star ocean, tales of vesperia. I still attempt turn based though just to see if they they something new you never know. Actually that shooting rpg had a great system that I liked. Forget the name. Resonance of fate....I think that's it.

I always thought that the Fire Emblem games had one of the best battle systems. It's simple yet complex and incredibly addicting.

I don't have a strong preference for any one type of battle system. When I go from one RPG to the next, I often purposefully pick a game with a completely different style and battle system to keep things fresh for me.

I guess if you forced me to choose favorites, I would say

1) SPRG, a la Fire Emblem, Advance Wars and FFTA
2) Real time, a la Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story and Tales of Symphonia
3) ATBS, a la Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger and Baten Kaitos Origins
4) Turn-based, but with timing inputs to keep you engaged, a la Paper Mario
5) Pure turn-based, a-la Pokemon and Phantasy Star

Although the lines between them are so thin that it really depends on the game, not the system. I'd take Pokemon over Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles any day.

Although this forum is about the battle systems themselves, the pacing of the game has a huge effect on how much I enjoy the battle system itself. I love Chrono Trigger not just because its battle system is fun in its own right, but also because I never ever had to grind to move forward, so fighting never got tedious.