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Anyone else got other than ff series?
After selecting what you wanted to do, cast a spell, use n item, attack, a little bar would have to 'power up' again before you could perform another move. Throughout the game there were several items available that could speed up this process.
I also like the way that you could combine different characters magical abilities to perform doulbe and triple 'techs'.
Secret of Mana was also highly enjoyable, though it was more real time, with you hacking away at who ever you wanted, BUT you could power up the weapons to different levels, so avoid the enemy until you had you weapon at a high level, then unleash a powerful blow. Top stuff!
Take Final Fantasy or Grandia 2. Depending on what items you are equipped with, what spells you have and what attributes your characters have developed, each battle has unique properties. It you characters have developed speed, then you can go for 'first strike' attacks to weaken your opponents in the first round of battle.
If your characters are slow, you may prefer to keep your distance and use spells for both offence and defence. Final Fantasy and Grandia both offer you these alternatives, and because the systems are so flexible they add great enjoyment and a tactical side to each encounter that you are involved in.
Some people don't like the 'turn-based' elements of RPG battle systems, and some do. The ones that don't tend to prefer Tomb Raider style action where all the battles are 'live' so to speak, or the Tekken series where turn based just doesn't come into it.
Some battle systems have been a let down in the past. Vandal Hearts on the PSX never really gained popularity because of the restrictive movement squares that your characters were limited to, the same went for Betrayal at Krondor for the PC, both tried to stay true to the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons style of turn based fighting, but unfortunately many gamers found that this took too much away from the 'realism' of battle.
Because FF and Grandia games have characters and enemies with so many different speed attributes, there is more 'realism' for battles than there was with previous games, but the problem still lies with the 'turn-based' element.
PSO, whilst not strictly an RPG although still incorporating many elements of the genre, has no turn based elements at all, all the fighting is done 'live'. Same goes for Diablo and Diablo II and many PC adventures. This is a wholly different style of playing, and requires you to concentrate hard during battles, whereas with the turn-based systems you can take a break mid-battle if it's a particularly long and drawn out one.
On the whole, I prefer the turn-based systems, because they give you more time to think and plan your strategy, whereas with the live ones there is an element of 'hack and slash and hope you get away with it' to the systems used.
I agree with GR, the Final Fantasy battle system, whilst changing slightly throughout the series, remains my favourite.