BG-57's absolutely right - this is a very addicting game.

As an RPG, it's in a league of its own, as I don't think I've ever played a game that was so detailed. If you look at the scenery, there's constantly detail put into things you wouldn't expect, and the Bestiary is literally an encyclopedia full of information on the world and its backstory.

The setting is amazing - but don't expect FFT's Ivalice. This game's ivalice is like FFTA's, and the culture is representative of Egyptian/Mesopotamian civilizations during their heyday, which is real cool as it's probably one of the least explored cultures/civilizations in RPGs and especially Final Fantasy.

The battle system's on another level, too. Itou, the guy who came up with the ATB system in IV and perfected it throughout the series, added another dimension to it with ADB. You still have time bars that fill up, but everything is seamless, no battle screens, the idea is that you are constantly exploring. The Gambit system is great if you can get into it. Itou based it off of the NFL, where the coach selects plays that will predict the most likely outcome, and you adjust your strategies according to that. Very strategic and very intense.

As a Final Fantasy, you might be dissappointed. There's maybe 30 hours of actual story whereas there's probably up to 100 hours in sidequests and mark hunting. Don't get me wrong - this game has an amazing story. But the storytelling is amatuer at best. If you're expecting a deep plot with references to mythology and philosophy, and alot of effort put into developing characters, this game might let you down a little bit. To me it abandoned many of the mechanics that have made the series stand out among its competitors, especially the recent advances made in storytelling in the last few installments.

The music is good (some really great pieces) but it gets repetitive and al ittle boring about halfway through the game. The graphics are probably the best we're gonna get with PS2, the FMV's rivaling XBOX360 IMO. I spent more time on 1 file than any other final fantasy, so be prepared to get addicted if you can get into it.