These are a few of my hated things...

[Wolf Kanno]

Kanno, you're firstly missing the point. Crystal Armor still constitutes amazing end-game equipment that you get right off the bat. You're also forgetting that trading off benefits for others is what FF equipment is all about, especially endgame. I think you're reaching for straws by saying simply because something is not the best, it's not in the same category of ultimate equipment your characters want end-game. You're post is also a red-herring in that you explain why Crystal Armor is not the best in the game without refuting the fact that you begin getting the best equipment in the game shortly after the mid-way point, while not even establishing that Crystal Armor does not fit in that category.

I'm mostly messing with you cause you know I need to do my obligatory "standing up" for FFVI just as you would do in turn should I say something terribly bad about VII

If you want me to be serious in defending the game then I would simply point out two things. The first point is that the second half of VI is almost completely open ended which is something that is not as common in the series as one would think. The Crystal equipment doesn't become available until about the time you get the airship which is about the point in which the game opens completely up and allows the player to explore as they see fit. If they tried to stick to a progressive equipment system in this environment it forces the player to stay to a strict path or even worse, allows some players to skip to the powerful stuff and ignore the rest in order to jump to godhood as quickly as possible. I don't see how you can be open ended and progressive. Chrono Trigger did a similar set-up since all the optional content nets you Ultimate or end game gear.

The second thing I would like to point out is that VI has a difficulty jump when you get into the WoR. Even with good levels, your crappy spell selection combined with your decent equipment will allow even normal encounters to eat you alive if you are not careful. Its why I always suggest teaching Celes, Sabin, and Edgar all the healing spells before going to the Floating Continent to noobs. To be honest, you need access to great equipment as soon as you can cause the open-ended nature of the Second Act also prevents the developers from making an obvious increasing difficulty curve for the enemy encounters. That's why the second half of the game has more puzzle centric dungeons or theme dungeons like the Phoenix Cave or the Cultist's Tower.

By wishing for progressive growth, you ruin the beauty of the games design.

Something else that's part-minigame and part-chaps my hide was the marks in FFXII. Somewhere along the line it becomes a redundant excuse to draw out the length of the game. They start swapping monster templates with an added touch of color to show how lazy it got. All it is is text and swapped templates, taking up a minimal amount of memory in order to greatly expand game experience. I did actually play nearly all the marks in my last game and did enjoy it, but I really wish it had more substance to it. Adding in an extra guest character on specific hunts was great, and I really wish it was an idea they went with from their original ideas.

I disagree to a point. I personally found that the Mark Hunts were utilized in a way to show the beauty of the Gambit system as they often require a greater level of strategy than the main story bosses. Like X's Monster Arena, the Mark System is created to show off the battle system and unlike X is available throughout the game so you don't get bored as quickly. If I learned anything from playing XII, its that its one of the few games I don't like over-leveling in as I feel the beauty of the game lies in using strategy to overcome difficult odds. The Mark Hunt provide this as they tend to be 10x nastier than anything else the game throws at you in the main storyline.

I usually find that people who don't like the Gambit system are also individuals who didn't bother with the Mark System. They just powered level and stuck to very simplistic Gambit schemes. Sorry to go on the personal rant but it bugs me when I talk to some of the XII detractors (Not you of course).

On the note about your last statement though. Originally, the team planned on having the player have the ability to hire Clan Mates to help them with the Mark Hunts and I think they even talked about making it a multiplayer experience with allowing a second player to plug in and take control of a secondary unit. Regretfully it was another idea that got thrown out (like the airship battles) due to the game's troubled production.