Final Fantasy Tactics A2

Spent some big $ to get a Japan version of this game. Played it for 2 weeks now, spetacular. I had a heck of a time trying to translate the story into english, but I figured out the skills, menus, and battle and it's now memorized! Even though I flunked my Japanese class back in college, I still managed to translate this, and yes, this game is well worth the trouble. That's how good it is.

So far the great parts:
#1 The same great tons of job classes.
#2 Length seems to be massive. I'm 2 weeks in non stop, and it feels like I've barely scratched the surface.
#3 This is a new game, new story, new gameplay. This alone is a great improvement over the PSP FFT which was just a remake.
#4 0 load time :) Yes, the graphics are a bit weaker than PSP, but come on, this is tactics, gameplay is what we want.

couple of noticeable differences:
- Skills, unlike the previous version, you gain skills as you level your job class. This, the skills are in the weapons / armors, and you learn it by equiping it. Once mastered, then you can use anytime.

- Random battle - None, at least I've not encountered it even one time after playing for 2 weeks. It's all mission based. Update** after playing about 3 weeks, encountered some random battle, it's a pop up icon in the road. You can fight it or skip over it easily by traveling in the main map.

- Auctions for the land - fun minigame, but not that big of an effect on the game itself. After you win the land auctions, then you get to bid on different items, if you win all the auctions, you get a bonus. Pretty fun actually. Only thing is it takes about 200 days for the auction to run again.

- Weapons are bought in the stores. The difference is you have to first discover the weapon by finding ingrediants. You get ingrediants from the enemies you beat and by completing missions. Once you discover it, then you can buy it in the store. Even though there are no random battles, money is really a non-issue about 20% into the game. Plenty of funds to buy all the equipment you want.

- Judge - This is a new element introduced here. Basically it's a rule for each mission. If you follow it, then you get a bonus at the end of the battle, if not, then you don't get the bonus + you cannot revive party members in the mission. Not a big deal, some rules are so difficult to follow, the prize is not worth the trouble.

- Story - This I really can't say much, it's in Japanese.... I can understand maybe 5% of it with my dictionary and translator. As far as I can tell, it's about a boy traveling thru a magic book into a foreign land and meet up with a girl with special powers and of course will save the world. I do know the story is long, already played 190 missions and there seems to be much more, knowing FF games, they typically have elaborate storylines. That I'll have to wait for the English version to find out.

- Graphics, sound - On par. Nothing fantastic, nothing bad. For tactic games, the gameplay, the RPG element, storyline is the main hit, graphics & sound as long as it's not annoying, it's fine.

For now, I'll enjoy the gameplay, when the US version comes out, get it again and the fun starts all over again with the story.

I've been checking up on this game ever since i first heard about it!! Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is still one of my favorite games, heck i'm even playing through it again for the third time lol! From what i've seen, ffta2 seems to greatly expand and improve on the first FF tactics advance. At the same time though, it also seems to have kept everything that made the one on GBA so much fun!! I've read on several different websites that it is supposed to be coming here to the States on June 24th...i can't wait! =P