Let me convince you, change is good.
The new real-time fight system is a good change. Majority of people who have not played it gave it a pretty bad impression. Think of the "original" RE4, and I mean that with the same mechanics as its predecessors. Now think of the "released" RE4, and how much we love it, get my idea? Previous FFs have the standard turn-based command whiffing system with only minor changes throughout the expansion. FFXII, changed all that, the new gambit system and license board takes time to get used to. But that's like just any other game, just because you don't know how to use it doesn't mean it sucks. The gambit system erases tedious repititive commands you give to your characters, giving away the obvious stuff giving you time to really decide on how to take a battle. In other words, grasping the gambit system to your advantage is genius. Now lets talk about MP, previous FFs would make you think twice in using magics (magicks) MP is like a gold ore and even your magic-casters would just end-up as frontline offense. In this game, you don't have to worry about MP, it restores timely with the right licenses and proves that magicks really have a place in battle. Now let's talk about earning Gil, previous FFs will get you gold through defeating fiends, as if they drop 5-10gs of their bodies. FFXII gives you loot when defeating enemies, this is a good idea for it allows greater involvement with the stores scattered around the game, you don't make stops just to get new weapons. And believe me, you don't have to be cheap in this game.
Graphics:
Best in the series, Square-Enix made real improvements with the graphics of this game. At first I thought it would be the same as FFX, given FFX-2's appearance, which is totally the same graphics. (FFX-2 is not a real game in my opinion, but more of a fan service, gay that is... :P). If you look closely, the character sprites have little almost non recognizable changes when scenes shift from verbal dialogue to that of you controlling the character (e.g. roaming, battle). In FFX, the characters look snappy, but then become pixelated when they're quiet. Furthermore, you can rotate your camera, now use it to see your detailed surroundings and all the people you can interact with. No more **** where the hell is the door to the next area?" "where the hell is that blip?" And of course, there's still that mind-blowing CG movies.
Sound:
Work of art. Your first time through, you'd love the feel of the Final Fantasy Theme sound, fully remastered. The only thing you might miss here is the Victory Fanfare, but that is not missing at all, you still get to hear it from defeating bosses. Which makes more worthwhile rather than all the time you defeat a single thing in battle.
Value:
You're going to have played over 70 hours and you still have a lot to do, both sidequests and plot. Real value, previous FF's, you can complete the storyline in less than 50 hours, then spend the next 50 amping up your characters. In the game, it allows you to little by little do your sidequests as part of the game and not completely going out of the story. And you would love to explore which will make it not look imperative to do so.
Tilt:
I love this game, I may sound to be hating over FFX, but I'm only using it as a point of reference being in the same console, I played that game with all my heart and contributed a lot in taking advantage of the expert grid. This game may not have the over-the-top, hollywood action, rockstar infused characters. But its not all bad, purists would love the ensemble here, truly this is the cast who would go to the adventure. This game also addressed gamer issues regarding gameplay. Its a good product and deserves a spot on your shelves along with the PS2's best for the six years it had to stay. We're off to the next-gen so we deserve the best games before the PS2 signs off, and Square-Enix have provided that. This is just my review, but who knows, if you play it, you might like it even more than I do. Its a great buy.