Final Fantasy XII is not your typical me-too JRPG. In fact, its gameplay system is radically changed from prior Final Fantasy games, offering a fresh approach to basic elements like battles and character advancement. Here at E3, GameSpy sat down with four members of the Final Fantasy XII team: producer Akitoshi Kawazu, scenario writer Daisuke Watanabe, character and background advisor Akihiko Yoshida, and battle designer Kazutoyo Maehiro. We asked about the great creative risks they've taken, as well as the weighty matter of just who could beat up main character Vaan.

GameSpy: Final Fantasy XII features the most dramatic changes in a series that's known for its constant evolution. What provoked this? Was there any internal resistance to this?
Kazutoyo Maehiro: There have been little changes occurring through every Final Fantasy that's been released, but I felt that we needed a radical change for this new game. Yes, there are a lot of people who still don't agree with the radical changes in Final Fantasy XII.

GameSpy: Did that contribute to the long development time? *group laughs*
Kazutoyo Maehiro: That is not the reason. The reason the production became so long is that we wanted to release a game of the best quality.
GameSpy: Do you feel you've achieved that?
Kazutoyo Maehiro: Yes. There's more we'd like to add in future games, but Final Fantasy XII is the best game we've made.
GameSpy: Does your team expect to work on future Final Fantasy games, and if so, would you like to retain the changes you've made, or go in another entirely new direction?
Akitoshi Kawazu: There are people who will continue on to create new Final Fantasy games, while others will go in a completely different direction.
Daisuke Watanabe: I think every Final Fantasy game is very different, and evolution is the natural process of the Final Fantasy series. So in the future yes, you can probably expect a very different game.
GameSpy: Final Fantasy XII feels much more free and open than previous Final Fantasy games. You can explore areas that aren't yet important, and get decimated if you pick a fight with a high-level T-Rex that roams right outside the first town. Do you prefer this more open approach to, say, the more linear and restrictive design of Final Fantasy X?
Kazutoyo Maehiro: Lately it seems that RPG games have a set path for you, and you can only go down that path, unable to move around freely. In older games you had a lot more freedom than in current games, so we wanted to bring back the soul of the older games and let people attain a little bit more freedom. I like this style a lot better than the present style of one-path games.