Pleasantly Surprised. Different than your cut of the mill Final Fantasy.
At first I was a little worried about Calintz looking so girlish, but after seeing how everyone is dressing and his voice acting it really doesn't bother me now (Even though I'm still having MGS2 play through my head: President & Raiden scene).
When I saw gameplay movies I saw a wheel system for combat scared me at first. I've played 3 games where timing attacks had a big effect: Vagrant Story (awesome), Legend of Dragoon (very good), Unlimited Saga (horrid). This one rates right up there as being very "doable" and not anyone can just pick up the controller and pull off a "combo" first try. I like how they made a dash/caution system that affects your random encounters, all these small unique things really set this game apart from others I have.
The graphics are crisp mostly but sometimes you get stuck with a really blurry picture which is sometimes annoying. The backgrounds are very well constructed but it leads to some longer than usual load times, bothers some not me (if you've played ps2 Topspin you'll never complain about loadtimes ever again).
Soundwise the ingame music is just like the trailer, very majestic and warlike. Only reason I didnt give this a higher score is because I didn't like the opening song, hopefully it wont keep coming around in the game like FF8s "Eyes on Me". Of course I play both violin and trumpet so a good soundtrack goes a long way for me. Wish I could have a broader aspect of the game but I decided to let all the people waiting for it that your in for some fun.
So I'd recommend that you go out and grab this game before it dissapears from American shelves. The Gamestop I went to had ONE extra after all the pre-orders, and I'm somehow doubting they'll get many more. The 54.99 gets you a nifty Artbook and Strategy Guide and a poster. (along with the game of course)