Why a lot of fans don't like this game *SPOILERS*

[Bolivar]

Imperfectionist -we got to remember that FFXII wasn't entirely done by the mainstream FF staff. In fact the heads of the project, as everyone knows, were the staff members behind all the other games set in Ivalice and as such I EXPECTED it to be far closer to the story/music style of FFT and Vagrant Story than to any other mainstream FF game. I actually like the story and music - it keeps some continuity with the world, or rather region, that the games are set in - you still feel like you are in the same Ivalice that Vagrant Story and FFT are set in. A NPC in Archadia even mentions the city of Lea Monde, where Vagrant Story is set.

Well maybe it's because i've never played FFT or Vagrant story that i'm not as into this game as I was with the others, because really, I just can't relate to this game as much as I did with the others.

As to the random battles issue - even S-E ahs admitted that Random turn-based battles are becoming more and more obsolete. The mass consumer audience - which is what S-E is aiming at since they ARE a business, not a fan-pleaser - just isn't interested in random battles anymore.

Again, that was just my personal opinion. I've pretty much grown up with random battles, and I can see it from a business perspective that random battles aren't as popular any more, that doesn't stop me from missing them.

I don't think the business perspective should get in the way of it. FFVII is square's best selling game, and it utilized ATB in a way that flowed perfectly, making the battles feel almost like an action game with the perfect flow of battle and the use of a constantly moving camera, to create a really intense experience. To this day I still enjoy nearly every battle in the game and either IGN or Edge cited it as the game's strongest aspect. FFX also used them really good for the boss fights, with your characters seeing it on the map and then the screen slightly changing to the battle screen. They were supposed to have developed that more for even the enemies - I hope they could do that for a future game. I'd much rather have battles that play like a modern day chrono trigger than a large "exploration" experience that can be extremely boring at times.