Another go...

[Roto13]

If difficulty is your biggest gripe, definitely do the marks. They're where the game gets challenging. It's like how Mario Galaxy is super easy to "finish" by collecting the minimum number of stars, but collecting them all is a different story.

This should be left up to you because the game makes Gambits completely optional, which is why I'll never understand why people hate on them.

I don't know about everyone else but I hated the fact that the game was so simple that you could make the gambits play it. It wasn't that the gambits themselves were at fault but that they exposed otherwise weak combat. But I will save that for the many hate threads I will make once I start playing.

Final Fantasy XII is probably less winnable with gambits than most JRPGs would be. Those other games just don't have them.

You forget we live in an era where games are built for the lowest common denominator. Though honestly, I would argue that the best party set-up in XII is debatable. An adequate story beating team would be simple to surmise, but an actual "best party" configuration would be a bit more difficult to determine. It would really come down to play-style and whether you feel it's better to rely on Reverse spells and Bubble spells or simply rely on the inefficiency of shields and Bubble Belts can give to a party trying to deal with stronger marks and the games end bosses. Not to mention debating about the best set-up for maximum damage. I seriously end up having to switch from a mob killing party and a boss killing party, cause neither set-up is efficient enough to do both jobs well for me.

That's an awful lot of talking to try and convince people that FFXII has more depth than it actually does. Bad enough that your standard FF title just requires mashing the X Button, but XII would mash it so you didn't have to. Such a brainless self-defeating system. You'd almost swear it was your girlfriend the way you defend it. Did it do your laundry and make you a sandwich too?

Why would you rather do obvious stupid things than not have to do them? What feeling of accomplishment do you get from hitting "Fight" over and over again or casting healing spells when your health is low? Do you think "Hooray, using Stona on my petrified party member was totally the right call! GO ME!"?