So, I finally picked up Final Fantasy 12

The special edition, too.

I'm about 20 hours into it, and it's pretty damned cool. I really like the new combat system. It's a refreshing change of pace from using a traditional turn-based setup for the twelfth friggin' time. The story seems decent so far, but I have yet to encounter anything that puts it ahead of 10 in that department.

My one question, directed at the folks on the forum who might have beaten it already, is this: do the locations ever generally change? I've been seeing a lot of deserts so far. A lot. Deserts and desert cities. Is the scenery ever going to make any radical changes to other climates, or am I pretty much going to be sweating my ass off the rest of the game?

No, mostly the beginning is just like that. It starts in a desert country, after all. I'm surprised that you're 20 hours in and you haven't seen anything else. The zone just south of the main town is a swamp, after all.

The story isn't bad, but XII seems more about the gameplay than the story.

Well, I haven't been to Giza during the rains yet. I'm just about to. In the earlier segments, it looks like desert environment to me. And yeah, I know it's probably taken me longer than it should have to get to where I am. Just finished Raithwall's Tomb, and I'm clocked at 23 hours. I've spent a lot of time grinding.

What do you think about Balthier, Raziel? He seems like your sort of character.

Balthier is a badass. He's James Bond. Period.

I also found that Vaan didn't seem to fit into the story very well. It was almost like he didn't even belong in the story, at least not as the main character. I don't really care for him much.

My personal favorite of the bunch is actually Vaan. I really like his character. Thus far, he hasn't shown an overweening obsession with destroying the empire, he's not a moody anti-hero and his ineptitude and lack of experience aren't glossed over with comic absurdity. Plus, he doesn't have amnesia, he's not a lecherous pervert and he doesn't exhibit any sort of "fractured, torturous past." He's successfully avoided just about every videogame RPG hero cliche in the book. He's just a regular guy with ideals and hopes. I like that.

I can also say that, so far, Fran is my least favorite character in the bunch. To me, she seems thrown into the game solely for sex appeal and to explain away all the mystic mumbo jumbo that the player doesn't understand right off the bat. She's just not compelling or valuable to me.

One more question. Upon unlocking two Quickenings for each character, I'm starting to feel that boss battles have become too easy. I had a hell of a time with the optional Demon Wall (beat him by the skin of my teeth), but since that I pretty much annihilated the two other bosses I've encountered. Does the game suddenly ramp up in difficulty, or is the Quickening system totally overpowered?

You said you've spent a lot of time grinding, that's probably why the bosses seem easy. Spending a while making money/leveling up in the beginning makes the game so much easier.

Don't miss my post just above yours, I happened to post it right before you posted.

The thing is, even if Vaan doesn't fit into the story in some grandiose fashion, I'd rather have a more lax protagonist this time around. I can't count the number of RPGs I've played wherein the seemingly unassuming and regular hero turns out to house some ancient, mysterious power that makes him the only weapon against the game's villainous antagonist. It's actually refreshing to me to see a hero that's just another dude along for the ride. That's kinda what Square was going for with Tidus, and mostly succeeded at. I like the idea of Vaan not necessarily being the "hero", but rather the avatar for the player. In essence, an inexperienced and mostly unknowledgeable kid that's sharing the learning experience right alongside you. Crono did the same thing, only he didn't talk.

Tidus fit very well into the story of FFX though. He wasn't just "along for the right", though I guess you could argue that.

FFX was Tidus' story.

Vaan really has no place in the story, he would be much better as a character you just aquire along the way, then again I haven't played through much farther than yourself, for all we know he might just not be fully developed.

Oh and I must add, so far FFX is superior to FFXII when it comes to story, but FFXII is superior when it comes to gameplay. I absolutely hated how battles in FFX were pretty much like Rock->Paper->Scissors. It gave a use for every character, such as Wakka being the master of killing flying monsters, Lulu being the master of killing elemental monsters, but it was absolutely horrible in my opinion. But FFX's story is absolutely amazing.

I must also add, I've taken a liking to the word "absolutely" it seems. I said it 3 times in the past paragraph.

What do you think about Balthier, Raziel? He seems like your sort of character.

Does he work at the front desk of a hotel?

Why don't you ask your mom.

I also found that Vaan didn't seem to fit into the story very well. It was almost like he didn't even belong in the story, at least not as the main character. I don't really care for him much.

I love Balthier and Ashe.