So you're expecting a Matsuno game to be a bio ware game, basically.

Really, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with party banger (no matter how serious, that's the term, Forms), but I just don't think it'd work in the context of the game. It really doesn't matter what Basch has to say about Penelo's battle skills or whatnot. The stuff you mention from DA really just sound forced and unnatural in the context of FFXII (not in DA, since I can't tell, I haven't played that).

Matsuno does this one thing where he relies on old school RPG tropes to help with immersion. Seeing everyone talk like that can actually break immersion, as Wolf noted, but what you say is a bad thing - the Sandsea with no dialogue - is actually a tool that helps immersion. Yes, it's a specific kind of immersion that doesn't work for everyone. Why I t works for some is because it leaves spaces for your mind to fill in.

So this is kind of how I see it, which has only been reinforced since I started playing DQ. Gamers today, especially RPG gamers, have learned to rely heavily on text. And I don't mean on-screen text, but text as opposed to context, subtext, co-text, etc. So people expect to be told and shown everything. You want to see all their struggles, all their eternal turmoil brought to you on a plate. Of course, it is great that it's possible nowadays and it can be used to great effect in games like Persona 3 and 4 where it actually is the point of the story. But it's not the point in FFXII, and would really do nothing to help reinforce the game's quality. The very reason I find FFXII so great is that it is so different. It relies on subtext, and context, especially evident in Fran and Balthier's relationship, which really helps you use your imagination, making FFXII a different experience for everyone.

I'm not saying this is how games should be made, because games should be diverse. But for me, adding banter, so taking away one of the more refreshing qualities of FFXII which is its reserved approach to its characters, would really make it much less of a unique experience. I'm glad FFXII exists and the way in which it exists, because I don't want every game to be Persona (or DA or whatever) and I'm glad there's something out there that can pander to my tastes more.