This game is awful

[Nominus Experse]

yes the new battle system is good. But seriously have you ever picked up a new rpg thinking to yourself "damn I hope the battle system is good."

You don't, and never have?
I have, on many accounts, decided to look into it further than just the back cover.

Its not the defining feature of an rpg and never was and never will be. All a good battle system does is make the dungeon crawling more tolerable

So this would explain why many RPGs are constantly trying to add innovations that are notable in their battle mechanics, and publicize such things heavily.

People tire of the same thing. Change gives way to novelty, and in turn, gives way to a level of interest and excitement.

however its not praiseworthy when the rest of the game sucks.

You have yet to give a solid argument as to why FFXII is an awful game.

Another thing worth noting about this new and improved battle system was how terribley it was implemented. It could have been the best freakin battle system to ever grace an rpg, but the way this game makes you trudge through hours and hours of turgid mindless killing of npcs it just doesn't matter, thats not rewarding and does a number on the game's pacing.

In an RPG, one travels, commonly through various environments that may range from dungeons to grand spires, most - if not all - are infested with fiends that wish to harm you. In FFVII on up, upon every attack, you are taken to another screen, and there and then, you fought whatever random encounter decided to "attack" you. If you can possibly give a valid argument as to how FFXII's seamless transition between dungeon crawling and battling is somehow more time-consuming or invasive in concerns to the story's pacing than that of previous FF's... I will be surprised.

As for the character development being "fair and decent" ... Well really I dont know how you could come to that conclusion, Vaan's persepective never deviates from "I hate the empire cus my brother was killed and I wanna be a sky pirate!" Its laughable .. 50 hours into the game nearly having beaten it and he still is no different. We learn nothing of him. All this while hes supposed to be the "main character" ... wtf?

If you look at it more closely, Vaan is not the main character.

Unlike many other FF's or RPGs, FFXII did not have a "one" hero character, but was rather a story of political intrigue and conflict that these characters are caught up in.

Look at Ashe, Baltheir, Fran.... Every character is dynamic to a degree, so saying that they are completely static is rash. Additionally, complaining that a character holds onto a set motive seems... strange to me, as there are particular things that motivate people/characters for their entire lives, and justifiably so.

and then, theres the music. Oh god it makes me miss Nobuo Uematsu so bad. After having beaten it I dont think I could remember a single track from the game let alone like it. They are that forgettable.

You complain because it is different, not because it is sub-par.