Not going to convert people that don't like JRPG's but for the rest of us its a great game even if it is clichéd
First of all we have the graphics & game world. Beautiful. In a gen full of grey shooting games its so refreshing to have a colourful world to explore. The graphics are big & bold with a nice cartoony look to them. & the environments are huge & incredibly varied. One minute your in a huge lush, green field. Then fighting through caves or navigating a stoney valley opening out into a snow covered area. The only disappointment comes from the mecha bases. These are quiet reptative & dull areas. Luckily they are few & far between. The game also suffers from minor slowdown when a lots going on. But it being a JRPG, this is far from game breaking.
The battles are your typical turn-based affair. But you'll be glad to know there is no random encounters. You can see the enemy on the field & its basicaly up to you if you engage them. The battles do however have a unique feature that comes from the Blue Shadow creatures you control. Each can unlock classes as you level up your character. These classes can then be switched around, leveled up & mixed to create a bewildering array of battle options. But this could be quite daunting for some so luckily the game never requires you actualy do this. Its there for the people who like extra depth & options to their combat style.
Its an easy game & the saves are well placed for a change. I died once thoughout the whole game & even then it was at a boss. But this is where the genius of the checkpoint system comes into play. Before each boss you have a checkpoint. This saved me a tonne of frustration. The last thing you want after exploring for the last hour is to lose all that progress. I got sent back to the checkpoint, changed my tactics for the battle & came away the victor. Sure these make the game even easier but it removes (IMO) one of JRPG's biggest flaws. The one where its possible to lose hours of play time from one silly mistake in a battle. The game also seemed to require no level grinding, as long as your smart in battle & use some tactics you will be able to beat it without the need for endless leveling up.
At first the story is decent enough to keep you playing & wanting to find out what happens. But it really does have some really soppy moments that are embarassing to watch & I didnt give a rhubarb about the main characters, apart from one called Zola - bunch of annoying little brats that they are. Which brings me onto another little point - be sure to change the language to Japanese. The English voices are some of the worst in the history of videogames & it has one of the hammiest scripts thats ever been produced. The soundtrack isnt that brilliant either but its ok. However the numerous NPC's you meet are mostly interesting & a lot moe likeable.
From the 3rd disc though the story really does pick up. Some genuinely surprising moments & one of the best videogame finales ive experienced make it worth sticking with the low points you may experience earlier in the game. Its also huge. I clocked in at 39 hours. I didnt level grind & after a quick look at some guides ive not even explored or collected half of what the game has to offer. For a completest this game could take over your life for a very long time.
All in all I loved it. Decent & at times excellent story. Great combat system with added depth for those who wanted it one of the best game worlds ive had the pleasure of exploring. Highly recomended to all JRPG fans.