The game was good but a bit of a let down for me. As a Final Fantasy fan I have come to expect solid turn based battles and when FFXII came out I was kind of shocked. I got used to the new combat style however the one thing I really did not like was the gambit system, the idea that you can make the rest of your party go into battle while you sit back and observe and collect the EXP is kind of dumb.

The upgrading system and story didn't impress me, but the music and battle system were awesome (still I don't want turn based to disappear)

its the main character i dont like he just doesn't need to be there all he does is follow the group around
as for the battle system its great its really easy to use and addictive but using magic is hard
graphics are really good considering the size and length of the game
the gamblt system i didnt like and the licensing system i HATED so for me FF12 was a let down and IMO worst in the series

FFXII was an amazing game. A complete departure from many JRPG cliches. That said I have two issues with the game.

1. I found it odd that I had to find and purchase gambits. I wish they had given us complete control from the beginning. It would have made them work harder on making more of the challenge come from strategy.

2. Story was non-existent. While the dialogue was beautiful, I'll be damned if didn't know or care about any of these characters through the entire game. I knew nothing of any of them after questing for 80 hours.

Given as how story is one of the big reason I play these types of game it's really mostly what prevents XII from being one of my favorite FFs. No memorable characters. I couldn't name you one location in the game and I don't remember anyone but Balthier and Fran and that's mostly because they have awesome character design, not because the story made me give a damn.

I liked it better than X

I thought pretty much everything about was awesome with the exception of the story (although, the telling of the story was fine) and the characters.

The battle system was great and a welcome change. The setting and the world were probably my favourite of any FF. The music was very different (less melodic), but welcomed nonetheless. The art style as well as the visuals were top notch, even the smaller things like transitions into CGI were done so incredibly well.

I just found the characters and the story largely forgettable, which is, primarily, the reason I play these games.

Regardless, it is a great game that I am thankful for, especially in changing the battle system from here on out. I was a bit doubtful at first, but I thought it was executed extremely well.

I actually thought that was a bold move. This way we were able to see the story unfold through the eyes of someone close to main characters. Most of the time the developers try to move plots along with cut scenes where your charter is not really given a choice anyway. I thought this way was a at least different if not a little better.

IMHO "The character is along for the ride but what a ride it is" :)

The graphics were pretty good and teh comabt system took some getting used to but was not bad. My fav. combat system is Grandia, followed by star ocean and i am not really a fan of other FF games' combat systems either.

I liked the gambit system, I consider it to be one of the best things about FFXII.

The license board, to me, was not as good as the system used in FFX which I liked.  But it was not bad either. 

I have not finished this game so I can't say much about the story but judging on the beginning and considering the developers pedigree (Tactics ogre, FFT) it should be pretty good.

Compared to setting up a few commands, taping down X, using a rubber band to keep the player running in circles, and leveling up while you sleep? Gambits simply removed the need for the tape, though for many bosses and marks the player will have to switch up gambits or take control of every action anyway.

And for those complaining about grinding, you're doing it wrong. There's just never a reason to grind for levels. You could possibly be grinding for license points, but only if you're trying to create 3 or 6 of the same character early on. Choose specific roles, including a weapon type or two as well as the type of armor and it cuts down drastically on the amount needed, until later in the game when LP is accrued much faster. I can slightly understand grinding for gil early on to purchase all of the techs/magic/etc. available and to get the best equipment for each character, but really most of that isn't needed yet. By mid-game when a lot of the stuff becomes more important and good equipment can be vital, you should be chaining(and stealing!) for rarer loot and have plenty of gil.

I myself am currently playing through FFXII(Just got an airship and I'm taking advantage of the guest to clear out some marks, 32 down), but so far I think it will be my second favorite 3D FF after IX. The only big improvement I could see is one twesterm mentioned in another thread: different license grids for each character, basically restricting each to more specific roles. I'm a sucker for unique characters, and while different roles are basically required in FFXII, it's completely interchangeable as to who plays which role.

Final Fantasy 12 was a bad game and here are my reasons why:

-The main character did not play any part at all in the game which is a major flaw no matter how you look at it

-It was a incredible grind in which it took forever to get money

-None of the characters were interesting except Balthier

-The battle system may have been something different but I don't care if a battle system is innovative or is the same old same old what matters is if its fun and my friend Final Fantasy 12 was not fun at all.It had alot of good Ideas but i am not one of those players who cares more about if a games battle system innovates more then if it is actually fun

-The story was non-existent there was nothing to the story at all.You would spend most of your time on the gameplay which is already bad enough

-The gambit system was to much of a chore

There are many more problems that I can bring up on Final Fantasy 12 but I don't want to come across as a hater so I will talk about what Final Fantasy 12 actually does right and that is:

-Great voice acting

-Great dialog

-The battle system was innovative even though it was boring as hell

-The game did not focus on some sappy love story like other FF games did

-Had incredible graphics

-decent soundtrack

Overall it was one of the worst games I had ever played and thats not because it was not like the other FF games it was a bad game on it own end of story.This is just my opinion though.

I loved 12 as much as I loved every other FF, people just need to embrace the 'changes' which aren't really all that different...